


Toxicity

by AllisonWalker



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:16:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 17
Words: 114,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23678245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllisonWalker/pseuds/AllisonWalker
Summary: After Mokuba takes on Jonouchi as a brand new sponsored duelist for Kaiba Corporation, things go awry when Kaiba finds out and tries to actively sabotage Jonouchi's dueling career.Kaiba/Jonouchi  Manga post-canon
Relationships: Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Kaiba Seto
Comments: 92
Kudos: 175





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I began this a year or two ago for a writing challenge on Tumblr but I wasn't able to finish because of school. Now I'm far enough along that I feel confident in posting it. Thank you for reading it and please leave a comment at the end.

Going to the Domino City Regional Championships was a necessary annual event for Kaiba. He was one of the board trustees for the tournament committee, and as such, had to attend the event in the most visible section of the KaibaLand Dueling Arena as a celebrity guest. Mokuba sat next to him, dressed in business casual and appearing enthralled with the duel. Kaiba couldn’t imagine why. 

It wasn’t like they were seeing anything new. Jonouchi Katsuya against some upshoot player from Sapporo.

It was just becoming so boring after the best competitor had left the game. Yugi wasn’t competing anymore. And the other one, well... he was dead now.

“Nii-sama, at least try to pay attention,” chided Mokuba. He was practically glaring at Kaiba, his grey-blue eyes turning dark as they narrowed, “You’re being extremely rude. You know you’re presenting the award after his duel is finished, right?”

“Yes, I know,” Kaiba drawled. 

Jonouchi Katsuya was the other reason why he was stuck there watching him duel that afternoon. Mokuba wanted to sponsor him. Kaiba didn’t like the idea and he’d hoped that Mokuba would have lost interest as time went by, but watching the most recent competition had only made Mokuba’s interest in him intensify. 

He was there to scope him out. Kaiba knew Mokuba had planned to sponsor some duelists from Japan to take them to their California park, but the last thing he wanted was having the loser actually representing him overseas...

Mokuba had also offered a spot to Mai Kujaku. At least she could act professional, even if she had a spotty past history with cheating.

“You look like someone shoved shit up your nose,” Mokuba remarked, “What’s your problem?”

“This competition is boring.” There was no one of any real caliber dueling, and Kaiba could feel his irritation growing each time Jonouchi gained the upper hand in his duel. “You’re settling with Jonouchi because he’s your friend. You could find someone better.” 

“There’s no one else better,” Mokuba argued. “Nii-sama, you're acting fair. Jonouchi is a good duelist. You’ve admitted that yourself, he’s improved tremendously since the first time he started competing, and maybe if you weren’t so busy sulking, you’d notice.” 

“You’re letting your personal relationship with him cloud your judgement,” snarked Kaiba. “He might not be awful anymore, but he certainly isn’t Kaiba Corporation material.” 

Mokuba shook his head, and Kaiba could feel another confrontation about to begin. This wasn’t the first time they’d argued about this. They had been arguing since Kaiba returned from Egypt. There was no way around it, and Kaiba hoped that this- this phase would pass, because Mokuba had promised that he’d forgiven him. 

Was sponsoring Jonouchi some new form of emotional punishment? Seemed likely.

“What would you know about Kaiba Corporation material?” Mokuba shot back. His face was turning red and Kaiba could feel his body begin to tense up, the anticipation of a fight crashing over him like a tidal wave. “You left me, so you don’t get to tell me what is or isn’t right for our company just because you decided to return. I’ve always made good decisions, Nii-sama, and you still doubt me.” 

“I don’t doubt you, Mokuba.” 

“Then trust my judgement.” 

There was silence between them, although they were surrounded by the cheers and excitement of a packed stadium. Duel monsters were still as popular as ever, and it felt like half the city had turned out just to watch the last duel. 

When Kaiba looked across the front row, he could see Yugi there sitting amongst his friends: Anzu, Honda, and Ryou. He couldn’t believe he knew all their names... He’d been around them way too often for comfort.

They cheered each time Jonouchi took a blow out of his opponent’s life points. 

“I just don’t think this is a good idea,” Kaiba continued stubbornly. “Jonouchi only started dueling respectably well in the last season, and he’s had more failures than victories.” 

“You’re being ridiculous,” Mokuba stressed, “I wish you’d drop this vendetta you have against him already.” 

“I don’t have a vendetta,” Kaiba smirked. “He’s not worth the effort to care that much about.” 

“Then we shouldn’t be arguing about this still.” 

“You’re not listening to my advice,” Kaiba started, but he was cut off by Mokuba, who was looking openly hostile now, like Kaiba had kicked off some time bomb he didn’t notice counting down. 

“I never asked you for any advice,” Mokuba began to rant, and Kaiba could feel his face go slack, “You just want things to be like how they were before, but you aren’t the only Kaiba with a say in how this company is run anymore. I’m just as good at your job as you are, and I held down Kaiba Corporation just fine when you were too busy chasing ghosts to run the company... Don’t second guess my abilities, Nii-sama. I got it. I’m not a kid anymore.” 

That was part of the problem, wasn’t it? Kaiba wasn’t around to watch his brother grow up. It had happened after he’d left, and he’d turned into a grown man once his mission had been completed. Mokuba was still harboring a grudge, and Kaiba knew nothing he said was going to make things better for them.

Going to Egypt had been a mistake. 

“You’re just blowing this up to get back at me,” Kaiba rationalized. “You said there wasn’t anything left to discuss about that whole ordeal. I am not having that discussion here again.” 

“I’m not planning to rehash it,” Mokuba replied sharply, “But if you won’t respect my decisions-”

“You don’t respect mine, either,” Kaiba cut in.

“Because you make terrible ones!” 

Mokuba squeezed his hands tightly, biting his lip before taking a deep breath and releasing it.

“I’m leaving in three days. Jonouchi is joining the company. I’m not asking for your permission, I’m telling you as a courtesy. I respect you, Nii-sama, because you are my brother and you help to create everything I have, but sometimes you are flat out wrong about things.” 

“Tch.”

The dorks in the front were clapping and cheering again. Yugi was standing up and rooting with his hands in the air, and now the cheerleader was joining him. Jonouchi was looking back at them, waving like an idiot, but then their eyes locked and Kaiba could feel his entire body turn cold before he glared and Jonouchi turned back to the match.

“Have it your way,” Kaiba spat, and he rose from his seat before grabbing his coat, “Just drag everything through the mud out of spite. I thought you had forgiven me.”

He left before Mokuba could respond, and he knew he’d get hell for it later. As if it mattered. Kaiba wasn’t going to win no matter what he did. 

Taking the stairs up, he passed several sections of business executives that he knew and who worked for him before getting back into the bowels of the stadium, where only the stage crew were located. At least away from Mokuba, he could think in silence. The duel was about to finish, and he was supposed to present the trophy to the victor, but the last thing Kaiba was ever going to subject himself to was giving a reward to Jonouchi of all people.

Yes, he could see that he was better now and had some talent, but that was it. Jonouchi was willing to die for the game. Any idiot could do that. The only great thing he’d ever done was face Ra and remain standing, but he always had a ridiculous amount of luck and that had happened a long time ago.

When was the last time he’d faced anyone that powerful since? Kaiba couldn’t remember, and he didn’t care to try finding out, either.

Jonouchi felt so excited, he thought he might actually pass out after the competition had ended, and he barely remembered getting on the train to ride back to Yugi’s place. Mokuba had presented him with the Regional Trophy, but not only that, he’d won 1.7 million yen in prize money, having secured the first place spot. His rank had risen and Mokuba had called him “the next Duel King of our time”.

He left slightly apprehensive about the attention. Although Jonouchi liked Mokuba (now that he was much older), his general stance was not to fuck around with the Kaiba brothers. Maintaining a good distance was a healthy rule for the both of them. Not only was Kaiba Seto still gunning for him, but he’d left the stands before Jonouchi had even won. 

Jonouchi knew that Kaiba’s disappearance was a personal slight. If he had any sense, he wouldn’t have given the diss a second thought.

But dammit, Kaiba was supposed to give him that damn trophy! If Jonouchi was being completely honest with himself, he’d adknowledge that part of the reason why he’d chosen to duel in that particular competition was to get Kaiba’s attention. Jonouchi had always wanted to force Kaiba into publicly admitting that he was a great duelist. Not some stupid admittance Jonouchi didn’t even hear because he was too busy almost dying in the arena to catch it...

Was it too much to ask? To get some respect finally, after so many years? 

God, Jonouchi could feel his blood boiling again, and he turned his attention away from those thoughts when he tried to remember that at least it was Kaiba Corporation money that he received from his victory. It was almost like taking Kaiba’s money. Even if it wasn’t much compared to his overall wealth.

As if he’d notice. It was a drop in the bucket.

Mokuba had at least given his congratulations, and he seemed sincere about it.

“I hope you don’t mind Jonouchi-kun, I planned a victory party for you,” Yugi said, interrupting Jonouchi from his thoughts. They were taking the subway back, and Jonouchi felt an overwhelming sense of pride carrying that trophy in his lap. 

“You planned a party before you knew I’d win?” Jonouchi laughed, “What if I hadn’t won?”

“I knew you would,” Yugi replied reassuringly. “You’ve really changed, Jonouchi-kun. I’ve never seen you play better than you do now.”

When Jonouchi looked over at Anzu and Honda, they both shook their heads in agreement. Ryou just smiled, and Jonouchi for once didn’t feel creeped out by him. He wasn’t even sure about their friendship, but Ryou had come to support him and that meant something.

“I wish Jii-san could have seen it,” Yugi continued. “It was a really good duel. I think the Duel Network even showed it live today, so I can check my dvr, and hopefully we can replay it again and catch all the highlights!” 

It was the best way to improve, and Jonouchi was set on having a career now. He couldn’t imagine being anything else besides a professional duelist. As a kid, he thought about being a mechanic, like his dad. Jonouchi told himself that he wasn't settling; he liked working with his hands, and putting together model kits with his father was one of the most fondest memories he had of the man...

Before his childhood went completely to shit.

“I’ll order some pizzas,” Yugi mentioned. 

“And I’ll pitch in,” Honda added. “I can call my sister and see if she’ll snag us some beer.” 

“That’s not legal, Honda,” Anzu began, and they started bickering as Jonouchi’s mind zoned off.

Finally, a championship win under his belt. Now he just needed something on the National level. No one could ever discredit him again if he became the best ranked player in Japan. Hell, that was both Yugi and Kaiba’s prior title. The look on his face would be worth the effort alone...

When they reached their stop, Jonouchi was the first to jump off from his seat and his friends followed behind. They walked as a mob, almost crowding every bit of the street before finally reaching Yugi’s place. Yugi’s grandfather was already there, cleaning up the shop, and he smiled and waved when he saw Jonouchi arrive.

“I saw your duel on tv!” he announced excitedly, “I see all those practice sessions have finally made something out of you.”

“It’s not like I don’t try,” Jonouchi laughed as he rubbed the back of his head, “Sometimes it takes me a few times to get a concept.”

“Well, I’m very proud of you.” 

Grinning, Jonouchi embraced the old man, nearly lifting him off the ground. Yugi laughed nervously, wedging himself in between them and helping his grandpa inside the house before the rest of the gang followed. It would have been nice if some of Jonouchi’s other friends had been around to see his win, like Mai, but he had no idea where she was anymore.

Hell, he hadn’t seen a lot of people since high school ended. Everything after graduation felt like a blur. It was only luck that Anzu could come by during her summer break to see them.

It was an hour into the gathering when the pizza arrived, and Jonouchi had already stuffed his face with chips, candy, and soda. Once the real food arrived, he fought with Honda for the first slices before loading his plate and parking his ass in front of the tv to watch replay clips of his duel.

The anchors on the Duel Network seemed impressed. They went back and forth, picking up and remarking on the more technical aspects of Jonouchi’s dueling strategy and also discussing his relationship to Yugi and the fact that they were both taught by the same teacher.

But then the topic changed to his ongoing feud against Kaiba, which hadn’t gone unnoticed. They were discussing Kaiba’s snub and Mokuba’s immediate save as he took over master of ceremony duties. Everyone seemed unsurprised and almost amused by it, but Jonouchi burned a little bit from the memory. 

“Don’t worry about it, he’s just a prick.” 

Turning his head, Jonouchi peered at Honda, who gave a thumbs up. “You rocked today, Jonouchi. Don’t give that dick any thought.” 

“I wasn’t thinking about him,” Jonouchi lied. “I did get some of his money though, didn’t I?” He laughed before stuffing his mouth with a slice of pizza. It wasn’t that much, really, but it was something. Certainly more than Jonouchi ever had at any time. “Who cares what he thinks, Kaiba doesn’t even play anymore.” 

“It’s a shame, because he’s really good,” Yugi cut in, and Jonouchi wondered why he had to say something like that. Sure, he understood that Kaiba was his greatest challenge, but still. He didn’t want to keep talking about him. “He always forces me to play my very best.” 

“And he also forces people to get no rest,” remarked Jonouchi and Honda broke into a laugh as Yugi shook his head. 

Suddenly the doorbell rang, and Yugi jumped up before saying nervously, “Oh, I invited Kaiba Mokuba to come over, he wanted to meet with you, Jonouchi.”

“Meet with me?” Jonouchi mouthed dumbly, his jaw dropping as he pointed at himself and stared. What for? 

The room kinda went quiet, and the tension didn’t break until Yugi came back with Mokuba by his side, the latter grinning and waving to everyone as if he was a little bit shy. 

Although Mokuba was no longer a child, in the technical sense, he was still much younger than the rest of them. He was in high school, and despite no longer sporting the ridiculously long hair, he still had a slight baby face. He was taller now too, and Jonouchi realized that soon the kid would be looking at him eye to eye instead of just reaching under his eye brows.

He was also starting to really resemble his older brother.

“May I speak to you in private?” Mokuba asked.

Jonouchi continued pointing at himself. His hands were becoming jittery.

“Yes,” Mokuba laughed, “It’s a good thing!” 

“Well sure, okay.” Jonouchi got up, and they both went into the kitchen away from the crowd as Mokuba took a seat at the table and gestured for Jonouchi to do the same.

Although he could still hear the sounds of the tv, Jonouchi could no longer hear his friends’ easy conversations. He buried his hands in his lap, kinda looking around the kitchen he was already familiar with before he turned to Mokuba, who had cleared his throat.

“I just want to start by saying that I’m sorry for Seto’s behavior earlier today, he’s still a work in progress,” Mokuba joked. 

A work in progress? That was one way of putting it.

“I wasn’t holding my breath out there, anyway,” Jonouchi replied. Maybe he was being too hopeful. As if Kaiba was going to change. “I’d rather get a trophy from you any day.” 

“If you say so,” Mokuba remarked. He was smirking a little bit. “I wanted to ask you if you’d be interested in being sponsored by Kaiba Corporation to compete as a professional duelist in our brand new California branch?”

“Be sponsored?” Jonouchi echoed. “With a contract, right? In America?”

“Of course. I’m picking up a few promising duelists, and I want you to be one of them,” Mokuba explained. “It’s my program. You’ll be working under me.” 

“Aren’t you the Vice President?” Jonouchi laughed, his eyes not quite smiling. “I thought you were staying around to take care of things.” 

“Well, Seto doesn’t need me anymore, and I want to work on my own again,” said Mokuba, his tone becoming much more serious. “I want to lead the new park, and I want to promote the best duelists of Japan, since I don’t play myself. If you are interested in working with me... I’m prepared to offer you the best contract that any duelist has to date.” 

“You’re that serious, huh?” Jonouchi remarked.

He’d need to check the fine print, but it sounded promising. A freaking dream come true. No more paying for registration fees, duel disk upgrades, for brand new cards. He’d be financially set, like Mai had been. This would change everything.

“How long a contract?” inquired Jonouchi.

“We’d negotiate it on a yearly basis,” Mokuba replied. “Just as long as you stay in the Top Ten, I don’t see why this couldn’t last for the next five years, at least. However long you plan to play.” 

“I’m still young,” Jonouchi smirked. “I got forever.” 

This was the best opportunity Jonouchi had ever been presented with. He felt like his heart was going to jump out through his ribcage, he was so overcome with excitement. To play duel monsters as a sponsored professional... 

Jonouchi wasn’t the biggest fan of Kaiba Corporation but he could find some happiness working under Mokuba. He wasn’t so bad, at least. Mokuba sometimes was a jerk, but he never crossed the line into sadism. 

Not like the other Kaiba did. 

“I’m leaving soon, so let’s make time to write you up a contract before I leave, okay?” Mokuba offered. 

Jonouchi nodded his head enthusiastically. He couldn’t imagine a better situation happening to him. Not only had he managed to win a prestigious competition, but he was also securing himself some employment... Real employment, not crappy part-time jobs that felt him barely holding onto his self-esteem and pride.

Shaking hands on it, Jonouchi grinned and they both returned to the living room where the rest of the gang was still watching the finals. He sat on the ground besides Yugi, who looked enthralled with the replay. Mokuba too, when Jonouchi looked up to glance at him, he had a sincere smile on his face and even clapped when a good play occurred. 

The blissful moment came shattering down though when Mokuba’s phone began to ring incessantly. At first Mokuba tried being discreet, but then it blared and getting up, Mokuba turned it off and placed it into his pocket before sighing. 

“Sorry guys, I have to leave early, Seto is here.” Mokuba smiled. “Thanks for inviting me, Yugi.”

Feeling himself frowning before even realizing what he was doing, Jonouchi got up too. “Why can’t you stay? Just take a cab back or something.” 

“He’s already here,” Mokuba answered. “I don’t think he wants you guys rubbing off on me. He already thinks I’m too soft.” 

“His opinion doesn’t matter.” 

Mokuba’s eyes went wide and even Yugi looked a little scandalized. Jonouchi just huffed and crossed his arms, not budging from his position.

“Well, it doesn’t.” 

No one was going to argue with Jonouchi, and he found himself alone as both Mokuba and Yugi headed towards the front door. Mokuba was leaving, obviously, and maybe Yugi wanted to say a few words before Kaiba disappeared into obscurity again. Jonouchi didn’t understand how Yugi could tolerate him, but he used to ask the same thing when they first became friends, too..

Were Kaiba and Yugi friends? He wasn’t so sure, did Kaiba consider anyone to be his friend?

When Jonouchi followed them and Yugi opened the front door, he saw Kaiba’s profile and immediately felt apprehensive and on edge. His heart began to pick up speed and he hoped his anxiousness didn’t show on his face. Kaiba wasn’t looking at him, it was unlikely he’d be noticed, and besides, Kaiba generally ignored him.

“I’ll try to come see you all before I leave for good,” Mokuba promised and Kaiba appeared to roll his eyes as Yugi nodded his head. 

“That sounds like an excellent plan, Mokuba-kun.”

Mokuba nodded and then turned his attention to Jonouchi, a wide smile forming across his face. “What about you, Jonouchi? We’ll need to set up a meeting, so don’t forget.” 

“As if I could,” he responded back with a laugh, “Consider me convinced.” 

Kaiba stood there with his arms folded and eyebrows furrowed, glancing at Yugi first before glaring at Jonouchi. His gaze seemed so chilly and Jonouchi wanted to immediately retreat back into the living room but his legs felt like logs and he couldn’t move.

“I don’t appreciate you snubbing me during my duel, Kaiba,” Jonouchi heard himself shout. The words flew out of his mouth without much thought. He was about to get himself into trouble. “Is it possible for you to act like a decent human being just once? Your brother shouldn’t have to do your job for you.” 

Kaiba’s face twitched. “Winning a regional competition is hardly noteworthy, and I had better things to do than subject myself to your presence.” 

“Yeah, like what?” Jonouchi challenged. “You were supposed to be hosting. I doubt you had something else better to do. What were you doing, tormenting stadium employees who weren't able to avoid you?”

Yugi shot Jonouchi a cautious look. Too late for that. 

“Why can’t you just admit it to yourself that I’m actually a good duelist? It wouldn’t kill you,” Jonouchi remarked. 

“You are the definition of mediocrity,” Kaiba dead panned. “When your luck finally runs out, you’ll have nothing at all stand on because luck is the only reason why you’re able to win.

“Your deck is fundamentally weak, and your techniques are coarse, and while you have grit, I’ll give you that,” Kaiba offered, “But that isn’t enough to be worthy of my respect. You haven’t even been able to win a National Championship. Any idiot can get a regional title as long as he’s dueling against garbage, and there hasn’t been truly challenging competitors here since Battle City.” 

“Then put your money where your mouth is, and play against me,” Jonouchi challenged. “Stop running away to your ivory castle in the sky. See how you fare against me after all these years since Duelist Kingdom. I’ll give you a run for your money.” 

“I’d thrash you just like last time,” Kaiba promised. “Now enough, I’ve wasted enough of my night already. Mokuba, we’re leaving.” 

Mokuba turned and went out of the door with Kaiba, heading into the darkness. Jonouchi didn’t appreciate being cut off. He wasn’t going to accept that. Yugi tried to pull him back in, but he wasn’t going to be stopped. 

“Prove it,” Jonouchi shouted off into the darkness. “Meet me in the arena, coward!” 

Kaiba turned around and smirked. “You’ll just embarrass yourself again in front of the entire world, Deadbeat. Do yourself a favor and get a new hobby. I reckon you’d make a better punching bag than duelist,” he laughed, “Because at least a punching bag remains standing when I’m done pommeling it.” 

He gave an insincere smile before finally leaving. Mokuba appeared unhappy, but he wasn’t speaking up. Why didn’t he ever say anything? Kaiba always got the last word on everyone, and Jonouchi could feel his body growing hotter and hotter before Yugi placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I think you should just avoid Kaiba,” said Yugi. “He’s not going to give you what you’re looking for.” 

“He’s such an asshole, Yugi,” Jonouchi sighed. “I am sick of being looked down by him. I deserve respect.” 

“He’s not going to change,” Yugi sighed. “Not until he decides he wants to. So, let’s go back inside, Jonouchi-kun. We’ll order more pizza.”


	2. Chapter 2

Sitting in his executive office, Kaiba could see the entirety of Domino City, the day clear and the ocean view spectacular as the rays of the late afternoon sunlight bounced off the water and sparkled from a distance. Kaiba was used to the view. He preferred it at night, when the purple-black sky would swallow up the city, the lights of the skyscrapers littering the darkness like flashing, multi-colored stars. The top of Kaiba Corporation Tower was the largest building in the city, and because of that, Kaiba had the widest view in the highest office in the prefecture.

It didn’t feel like his office though. He could still smell the faint odor of Gozaburo’s cigars on the ugly green wallpaper Kaiba had never bothered to replace.

Sometimes, when it was late and the hours began to blur into the next, Kaiba truly believed Gozaburo was going to swing through the doors and waltz into his office, demanding to know what he was doing in his seat.

Fighting Atem hadn’t changed anything like Kaiba had predicted it would. He still felt that presence, from within both Kaiba Corporation and his own home. It truly felt like everything had changed during the end of Battle City, when Alcatraz Tower had come crashing down, but the hate was still there.

And the fear.

Shaking those thoughts away, Kaiba turned his chair and faced his desk. There was always a mountain of paperwork in front of him, as well as his computer and wireless phone. Just outside his office there was a team of assistants waiting on his every whim, headed by a middle-aged woman named Asato. He pressed the intercom button, waiting for a greeting.

“Yes, sir?”

“Did Mokuba already sign on the duelist under the name of Jonouchi Katsuya before he left for the United States?”

“I will check for you, sir.”

He only had to wait for five minutes to pass before a pleasant yet firm voice reported back. “No, sir,” Asato reported, “He had to leave early before the contract could be finalized. The legal department was still working on the final draft.”

“Bring it to me.”

“Certainly, Kaiba-sama.”

He couldn’t stop Jonouchi from being hired, without encouraging the wrath of Mokuba and bringing on more trouble for himself, but Kaiba could alter the contract. Every Kaiba Corporation employee had a three month long probation period during which their supervisors could terminate their employment without warning or explanation. Mokuba was soft, and he wouldn’t exercise it if Jonouchi got out of hand, but Kaiba was not sentimental. He fired employees and interns alike on the spot if they were dissatisfying in their performance.

However, he didn’t want to necessarily fire Jonouchi. Oh no. That was what he’d expect. It would be too easy, and Kaiba didn’t want to make Mokuba think that he was being unfair. No, he’d drive Jonouchi into quitting. If Jonouchi left by his own accord, he’d prove exactly what Kaiba had said about him.

Mokuba would then have to let him go.

Jonouchi might have been hired as a professional duelist, but nothing said he couldn’t go through a little breaking in process first.

“I have the documents, Kaiba-sama,” alerted Asato. “Would you like them delivered to your office right this minute?”

“Yes.”

He waited before a young woman opened his office door, wearing a smart black skirt suit and white blouse with her hair in a neat chignon. His most junior assistant, Kurihara, who was getting married next month and had already put in her two weeks notice. Kaiba found it disappointing. She was a high performer and a perfectionist, but she was leaving the company to become a homemaker.

How quaint and utterly disappointing, considering her talents.

“I am going to make some changes to this document,” Kaiba alerted, and Kurihara took out a pen and notepad after placing the paperwork in the in box. “I want the probationary period to be changed from the standard three months to six months. I also want this contract to stipulate that the employee must work under their supervisor in any function of Kaiba Corporation business if they are not otherwise preoccupied in their dueling responsibilities and duties. Also, transfer to Kaiba Corporation California Branch cannot be granted until after the probationary term has been completed.”

There would be no running to Mokuba now.

“Sir, would you like to still offer the full employee benefits?” asked Kurihara. “It’s customary that new employees don’t get company housing until after their trial period has been completed.”

“That’s not important to me,” Kaiba replied sharply. He couldn’t stand Jonouchi, but he didn’t want his business reputation as a fair employer being tarnished over his vendetta. He couldn’t have an employee living in the gutter. “Offer the lowest ranked accommodations and ensure the housing department has a studio available.”

Jonouchi could enjoy trying to live in four-hundred square feet. Kurihara had been offered six hundred, while both of Kaiba’s executive assistants enjoyed apartments with actual bedrooms. Rank had privileges.

“Make sure this gets completed by the close of business,” Kaiba directed. “And send a copy back once it’s been finished.”

“Certainly, Kaiba-sama.”

Once Kurihara had left the room, Kaiba swung his chair around and glanced out of his ceiling to floor windows. The sun was setting, and the entire sky was stained with bright orange and blushing red. Beach tide still rippled from afar, lit by the setting sun, but it would soon be swallowed by the ocean. Nothing would be left, except for the bright lights of the city and Kaiba Corporation Tower, standing above all.

* * *

Jonouchi hadn’t felt so upbeat in a long time. He was afraid of being late, wasting so much time fumbling over his nice clothes before picking an outfit and running with it. It wasn’t usual for him to wear any kind of business casual clothes, but Jonouchi had tried. With what money he did have, he bought some slacks and a button shirt, used, as well as lightly worn leather shoes and a tie. When he looked in the mirror, he smiled a cheesy smile at himself, his chest puffing out.

Finally, he’d made it. He was going into the major leagues.

Mokuba had left the country before Jonouchi had a chance to speak to him face to face again, but they’d spoken over the phone several times.

“Go to the Hiring Department and show your ID. They will bring up your contract, and once it’s signed, you should be able to meet me in San Jose within a week and we can get your press tour started.’”

It wasn’t Hollywood, but it was just as well. Jonouchi didn’t know anything about California, really, but he assumed any place would be better than where he’d come from. There wasn’t much left for him in Domino City, and although he’d miss his friends, Jonouchi knew he needed to make his own way already.

He was already an adult now. Nobody was going to hold his hand anymore.

On the subway, he sat wedged between two salary men, both wearing black suits with matching black ties and dark leather briefcases on their laps. One was reading a Shota manga, and Jonouchi had to roll his eyes before looking at the screen across from him. He could barely make out the news anchor who was speaking, because the car was so full of people during rush hour, but he saw glimpses of images before closing his eyes and sighing to himself.

He carried a messenger bag in his lap, the one he’d used during high school. Jonouchi wished he had something new, or at least less beat up, but he couldn’t afford the expense. Hopefully nobody would think too little of him. Jonouchi could hardly help being so poor.

The weather was sweltering but at least the sun was blocked by the giant skyscrapers that surrounded the city. His train stop was just short of Kaiba Corporation Tower, and getting out of the underground and reaching the sunlight, Jonouchi whooped at the sight of the front doors before rushing inside.

It wasn’t difficult to reach the Hiring Department, and like Mokuba had said, they’d known who he was once he’d offered his ID. What Jonouchi didn’t understand was the fact that they had him waiting in the lobby for so long, the front desk staff appearing slightly confused over just what his position was.

“I’m a professional duelist,” Jonouchi explained. “Kaiba Mokuba hired me directly.”

“I understand, sir, but your paperwork says something different.”

“That’s impossible,” Jonouchi pressed, “You must have me confused with someone else.”

“No, sir,” the woman explained, shaking her head, “Your picture is on the profile and everything. Just take a seat and someone will be with you shortly to explain.”

This couldn’t be happening to him.

It was near an hour before a handsome looking man appeared, speaking to the woman at the front desk before ushering Jonouchi to follow him. They went back to some offices in the corner, the man shutting the door before offering Jonouchi a seat.

“You seem confused,” said the man, “But I’m here to explain what is going on. I understand that Senior Vice President Kaiba had been working with you to get hired as a professional Duelist?”

“Yes,” Jonouchi echoed. “If you mean Mokuba.”

“Mokuba-sama left for San Jose before the contract would be completed,” the man corrected. “There’s been some alterations. But don’t worry, you are still being hired as a part of the Kaiba Corporation team.”

What?!

“That’s gotta be a mistake,” Jonouchi reasoned, “I just spoke to Mok-Mokuba-sama just two days ago. He said-”

“-President Kaiba has changed the contract of your employment. That’s why I’m here. I am to be your new supervisor.”

He had to be kidding.

“My name is Suzuki Akio, of the Executive Department. You’ll be joining my staff.”

Jonouchi tried to smile, but he could feel the corner of his lip twitching. This was not right. Maybe Mokuba thought it would be funny to play a joke on him. It wasn’t funny. His heart was beating out of control, and Jonouchi rose to shake Suzuki’s hand when offered but he didn’t feel good at all in doing so.

“We’ll be going over your hiring contract together.”

Suzuki sat down, pulling out a thin package of paper before taking out a pen.

“I’ll allow you to read it first, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

* * *

“Yugi, you wouldn’t believe it!” Jonouchi screamed into his cell phone. He was standing outside Kaiba Corporation Tower, repeatedly giving the middle finger to the giant building while feeling his body over heat from the oppressive sun.

“He fucking did it this time. He screwed me over.”

“What are you talking about, Jonouchi-kun?” Yugi asked on the other side. “What happened?”

“That job Mokuba promised?” Jonouchi explained, his voice becoming more and more animated, “Kaiba got rid of it. He’s making me into some office messenger boy! I can’t get out of this gig until after New Years!”

“Whoa Jonouchi-kun, start from the beginning.”

He took a few deep breaths, turning his back on Kaiba Corp before walking into the shade. There was a park, and taking a seat on a bench, Jonouchi tried to gather his thoughts to explain himself.

“Kaiba altered Mokuba’s contract,” he tried to begin again. “Mokuba wanted me to go straight to San Jose, to start my dueling career, but Kaiba placed me on six month probation and now I have to work as a temp before I can get that job offer back. He freaking fucked me over! Can you believe that?”

People walking past him were giving him strange looks. Jonouchi just glared back.

“I knew he was a vindictive asshole, but I never thought he’d go so low as to do this. I was about to leave the country, you know. Why pull some crap like this? Now I’ll be stuck working as an assistant for the next six months, if they don’t fire me first...”

Yugi was silent for a while. Jonouchi tapped his foot anxiously on the concrete sidewalk, nervously looking around passing people before he finally heard Yugi’s voice.

“That’s unfortunate, Jonouchi-kun. But you still have a way of getting to your dreams.”

“If I play Kaiba’s game and kiss his ass,” Jonouchi replied angrily. “I shouldn’t have to do this. Mokuba promised me that job. Doesn’t that mean anything to him?”

“I don’t know,” Yugi answered. “But you still have an opportunity. And you shouldn’t give it up.”

“I know,” Jonouchi stressed. “The benefits are still good. I got a new apartment, and a small clothing allowance to buy a suitable wardrobe with. There’s a lot of nice benefits I didn’t know about, but still-”

Still. Kaiba managed to take something away from him. Something that was just in front of him, just within his grasp. Would life always do this to him? Would he always be racing after his dreams to only have them snatched up again?

“-I’m just so angry, Yugi,” Jonouchi stressed. “I want to punch something. Or someone.”

“Try to take this situation as an opportunity,” Yugi offered. His voice was so calm. Jonouchi closed his eyes, nodding his head in agreement. “Most people are dying for a job at Kaiba Corp, and I know it wasn’t what you wanted originally, but you don’t have to let Kaiba win. Beat him at his own game. Get through your first six months and then find out if Mokuba can help you.”

“I don’t want to get between the Kaiba brothers,” Jonouchi replied hesitantly. “I have no idea what they might do if I snitch. What if Mokuba set me up?”

“Why would you think he’d do that, Jonouchi-kun?” Yugi asked.

He had no reason to. Maybe Jonouchi was seeing enemies where they didn’t exist.

“I don’t know. This whole situation just doesn’t feel right.”

“Try to get through it,” Yugi encouraged him. “I know you can do it.”

* * *

Sitting in the back seat of his black Bentley, Kaiba was relaxing, the traffic lights playing over his shut eyelids, when his phone began buzzing in his pocket. Groaning, Kaiba got up, and grabbing the thing from his jacket, he glanced at the number before sighing out loud.

Mokuba.

He didn’t know how the kid managed to find things out so quickly, but Kaiba prepared himself to hear an earful.

“Nii-sama, what happened to Jonouchi’s contract?”

There was no greeting or small talk. Mokuba cutting straight to the chase. Kaiba could respect that. He’d taught Mokuba not to waste his time in business and to always say his mind, even when Kaiba didn’t want to hear it. He had to trust someone within his corporation.

“I altered it,” Kaiba admitted in a neutral tone. “He needs to prove himself, like I’d suggested.”

“Why don’t you trust my judgement?” Mokub demanded over the receiver. “I approved of him. That was all that was necessary. If you wanted to place him on extended probation, for whatever reason you have, he could have done it here. At the California office.”

“I think we’re better suited for teaching him the business values he should be adopting if he wishes to stay with the company,” Kaiba answered in a smooth tone. “Americans are lax. Jonouchi needs careful fine tuning.”

“He needs to be dueling,” Mokuba sighed. He was silent. Kaiba could feel an ounce of concern beginning to overcome him, but it passed when Mokuba began speaking again. “You are disrespecting me, Nii-sama, and undermining my authority.”

“I’m also your boss,” Kaiba reasoned, but that wouldn’t fly with his younger brother. Not anymore. Not after Egypt.

“You don’t want to trust me after everything I did for you,” Mokuba continued, his voice rising in pitch. “Why does this thing with Jonouchi matter so much to you? Why can’t you let me just run things as I believe they should be run? Don’t you trust me at all?”

Kaiba swallowed. They weren’t speaking as business men anymore. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to continue.

“I have always trusted you,” Kaiba replied, trying to school his tone between the words, “But I don’t agree with your decision here.”

“So you’re going to, what? Force Jonouchi into quitting?”

“Not force him.” That was a lie. “I’m going to shape him into someone who is valuable to the company. If he can’t handle it, he wasn’t worth your time. Consider it a favor.”

There was a pause. “You’re unbelievable.”

Kaiba opened his mouth to argue, but then he realized that Mokuba had hung up on him. There wasn’t anyone on the other side of the connection anymore. Just emptiness. His face was burning up from indignation, and Kaiba turned off his phone and shoved it into his pocket.

“Brat.”

* * *

“Welcome to the Executive Office!”

Jonouchi felt distinctly uncomfortable, standing on the top floor of Kaiba Corp, surrounded by mostly attractive business men and women who all seemed to be wearing some shade of black or white. He was wearing blue, stuff that he snagged from thrift stores, and he hoped no one had noticed.

“This is Jonouchi Katsuya,” Suzuki announced, “He’s taking over Kurihara’s position.”

Everyone seemed deeply interested now, all eyes focused on Jonouchi as he just waved at everyone, feeling under the spotlight. Usually he didn’t mind attention, but it felt like being under a giant target now. Like he was an ant. And everyone around him was the fifth grader with the magnifying glass.

“Kurihara was Kaiba-sama’s direct assistant for the last eight months,” Suzuki explained, “But she’s getting married now-”

“-whose direct assistant?” Jonouchi could feel panic overcoming him. This whole thing seemed fishy. He was a part of the Executive Department. What does that even mean? “I don’t understand.”

“This is the President’s floor,” Suzuki tried to explain as some people in the gathering laughed, “Kaiba-sama’s office is just a few doors down. I am the junior executive assistant, and Asato-sama is the senior executive assistant. I was going to explain everything once you got a chance to meet everyone.”

This had to be some sort of a nightmare. Jonouchi blinked his eyes several times, hoping he’d wake up in bed, but when that didn’t help, he pinched himself over his shirt sleeve. No dice. He was still at Kaiba Corp, being watched by a department of confused office workers, some of whom were giggling at him.

“It’s okay, Jonouchi, I was told you were a special addition.”

“What does that mean?” Jonouchi demanded. Suzuki smiled at the gathering group before pulling Jonouchi by the elbow, bringing him away so that they weren’t in earshot of others.

“You aren’t a college intern or a graduate,” Suzuki replied, his tone a tad sharper now. “I understand that you are a duelist, which is great. I love duel monsters, too. But Kaiba Corporation is a corporate office, and there are rules and regulations you must follow here that I will be teaching you.”

“I get that, but-”

There was a strange change in atmosphere when Suzuki suddenly bowed down, and Jonouchi saw Kaiba come sweeping through the office, suitcase in hand. He was bumped slightly before Jonouchi realized he should be bowing, too. He did, not quite as low and certainly not as quickly, and once they all heard Kaiba’s door shut, the office became alive once more with buzz.

“Kurihara knew all the protocols, and she’s leaving in just a week,” Suzuki began again. “I have to get you up to her level in just that time. Also, you’ll have to learn keigo during that time. There’s no casual speech in the office, and I have some books you can study to get started.”

“That sounds impossible,” Jonouchi mumbled.

“It is impossible,” Suzuki agreed. “Usually new hires get three weeks of training before they even get sent to their departments, but they aren’t allowing you to do that. Which is why we must start today. I’m going to introduce you to the most important book.”

That sounded ominous.

Jonouchi groaned loudly when the book was placed in front of him. Reading in general was already terrible. His attention span hated it, and Suzuki sat across from him smiling before opening the first few pages, looking as if the manual was just some booklet to glance over.

“This is the Code of Conduct Manual for working at Kaiba Corporation,” Suzuki explained. “It’s not so terrible. We will be going through it today, along with the last special chapter on running Kaiba-sama’s schedule and how to work as an executive assistant. I know it looks daunting-”

“-it looks ridiculous. How can anyone be expected to read something so large?”

Suzuki just laughed. “You really aren’t from university, are you? Well, I’m going to help you. It’ll be easy.”

Jonouchi could feel himself drowning in his seat.


	3. Chapter 3

Jonouchi had been stuck by Kurihara’s side for the rest of the week, watching her go through the motions of taking care of Kaiba’s every whim in the office while both Asato and Suzuki handled more of the secretarial side of their duties, something Jonouchi had no experience whatsoever in. 

“Your job is simple,” Kurihara had smiled while they were going through Kaiba’s monthly calendar, “Just remember his routine and you’ll be fine. He’s not so bad to work under.” 

Jonouchi raised a single brow, unbelieving. 

“I mean it,” Kurihara laughed, “I like working here, it’s nice and the benefits are great. You’ll have a good time, as long as you don’t forget yourself. Speak in keigo and you shouldn’t have a problem.” 

“I find that doubtful,” Jonouchi said between gritted teeth. He was trying to smile, but his lips wouldn’t raise very high and his eyes didn’t match his mouth. Kurihara didn’t look fooled. 

“This is a really good position,” Kurihara said again, this time more seriously. “Don’t let the boss intimidate you.” 

She must have not known much about their relationship. It occurred to Jonouchi that some of the staff weren’t followers of Duel Monsters. While they worked for one of the most successful professional players in the world, they didn’t know who Jonouchi was or anyone else who wasn’t involved somehow in the corporate side of the business. It kinda stung a little, but Jonouchi tried to shake the feeling away.

He hated following Kurihara around. It wasn’t like she was an awful person, far from it. She was patient and always kind, trying to assist Jonouchi and console all his concerns. Not only that, but Jonouchi found her easy on the eyes and she was constantly smiling, always speaking in a light, cheery voice that had a defined feminine kind of tone that many men found appealing. 

Jonouchi didn’t have any kind of sexual desire for her but he certainly admired her. She always seemed confident in her ability to tangle with Kaiba and come out unscathed. The woman had his schedule down by memory, able to recall events and plans that had been established both months forward in time and weeks past. Nothing seemed to trip her up or kill her confidence, and while Jonouchi shadowed her, Kaiba did not say a word to him.

The dismal stung, but it was easier being ignored than having to deal with Kaiba directly. There was time for that in the future to look forward to.

When the day finally came when Jonouchi was alone and Kurihara’s last day came and went, he felt dread sitting heavy in his chest, like a stone pressing down upon him. Waking up, he took a cold shower and fussed with his hair for a long time, trying to settle it and make it appropriate before going out and trying to grab the breakfast Kurihara had suggested from the list of Kaiba’s approved meal choices.

He hated it. Standing in line, Jonouchi thought several times about what he was doing. It wasn’t like him to stand there dressed in black slacks and a matching tie with a pressed white button-up shirt, inconspicuous amongst all the other look-a-like office drones, all waiting in line for overpriced coffee and slightly stale baked goods. This wasn’t the world Jonouchi imagined being a part of, and yet somehow, he managed to find himself in the middle of it. 

‘ _At least I’m a morning person_ ,’ Jonouchi thought to himself as he entered the Executive Floor, finding nobody else there. He was absolutely alone, and turning on the main floor lights first, he juggled the coffee and chocolate-stuffed croissant before grabbing the small black daily planner and making his way towards where Kaiba’s office stood.

He didn’t like being in there. Jonouchi could feel his gut flipping each time he took a step closer to the double doors, the corporate name plate spread across it, burning in Jonouchi’s vision. At that very moment, Jonouchi could think of a million places he’d rather be than trying to enter Kaiba’s office, but there he was, trying not to spill coffee as he nudged the door open.

The room was dark, and at first Jonouchi just made his way directly toward Kaiba’s back desk but then he realized the figure sitting on the spun leather chair. Taking a deep breath, Jonouchi dropped his gaze, trying to reach Kaiba’s desk quickly before he could be noticed. 

“ _Ohayou gozaimasu_ ,” Jonouchi blurted out, the words paining him a little as he felt his face begin to burn, “I brought your coffee and breakfast.” 

He collected himself, forcing his shoulders back and standing up straight as Kaiba finally showed himself, spinning around until he was facing the desk, investigating the coffee. Picking it up, he smelled it first before taking a sip, his face turning sour as he sat it back down with a thud.

“This coffee is too bitter,” Kaiba complained sharply, “I know Kurihara taught you better. Two sugars, no cream. It’s not rocket science.” 

Jonouchi fought the temptation to scowl, his facial features nearly paining him as he bowed and forced the words out of his mouth, “My apologies, it won’t happen again.” 

“If you want that sponsorship, it definitely won’t,” Kaiba snarked. He wasn’t even looking up from what he was doing. It felt so alienating. Was Jonouchi just a part of the furniture now? “Get my schedule ready and then come back prepared to work.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

His face was hurting. Jonouchi spun heel and marched out, doing his best not to slam the doors behind him before going to his desk and opening the black binder that had been resting underneath his armpit. Everything was written in Kurihara’s neat handwriting, from picking up Kaiba’s lunch from the corporation’s cafe (the exact Bento box combo, in fact) to all the meetings of the day to remind Kaiba of, and picking up the man’s dry cleaning, _and_ calling dinner reservations for later that evening. There were so many different things etched into every hour of the man’s day, and Jonouchi couldn’t possibly understand how he could be expected to memorize it all. 

This was insane. He wasn’t the kind of guy who managed stuff. 

When he returned, Jonouchi tried going over the events but he stumbled more than once. Finally Kaiba looked up from his desk, glaring at Jonouchi before rolling his eyes and shaking his head. 

“I wonder how long you’ll last if this is your best effort to please your boss,” Kaiba snarked, and he snatched the binder straight out of Jonouchi’s hands before glancing over Kurihara’s script and tossing it back into Jonouchi’s chest. 

Frowning, Jonouchi managed to catch it, the edges jabbing him uncomfortably. 

“I’m trying my best,” Jonouchi argued, watching the tone of his voice before swallowing hard.

Kaiba rolled his eyes, his posture indicating that he was now completely immersed in his work, “I find that doubtful. If this is your best attempt, you should quit now before you make an even larger embarrassment of yourself... Now leave.” 

It felt like Jonouchi had fought for a good minute or two over not slamming Kaiba’s handsome face into the desk, but common sense won over. Thankfully, the moment had only lasted a few seconds in reality, and Jonouchi abruptly left the office, his mood feeling utterly foul as Suzuki came from behind.

“So, did it go well?” he asked, and Jonouchi spun around to answer. His lips pressed into a tight frown before he tried to force some sort of warped smile, lest he ruin the mood the other Kaiba Corporation employees were trying to maintain.

“He’s terrible,” Jonouchi answered bluntly. “I couldn’t do anything right.” 

“Kaiba-sama is not an easy person to work for, but anyone can still do it,” Suzuki tried to reply back with a smile. “You should have seen Kurihara when she first started. She broke down into tears at least a good three times before Kaiba-sama finally warmed up to her.” 

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.” 

Suzuki shrugged. “Well, I can try helping you these first few days, but you’ll have to fix your problems with Kaiba-sama yourself. You’ll have to learn how to work for him like the rest of us did. How about I handle the rest of the morning and you get a head start on some errands?” 

“That sounds fine,” Jonouchi agreed. 

He was given a list. At first it felt like a godsend, to be spared Kaiba’s direct attention, but then Jonouchi found himself wandering the bowels of Kaiba Corporation looking for missing paperwork, the majority of the staff either politely ignoring him or blatantly blowing him off. He had no authority and everyone knew it. Only after visiting the same department nearly three times did someone from the front desk staff finally make the effort to dig through files and find what he was looking for.

Then he had to take care of Suzuki’s chore of transferring the meeting notes into a memo format. Jonouchi felt like his brain was about to fall out from his ears. He never hated menial tasks so much when he was using his hands, but sitting at a damn desk just copying boring conversations for hours was just so fucking awful and mind-numbly dull.

When lunch came around, he was sent to retrieve Kaiba’s precious bento box before he could take his half an hour lunch break. The lines were intense, and while Kaiba apparently had a special made for him by the kitchen staff nearly every day, nobody from dining bothered to send it up. Jonouchi had to retrieve it, along with green tea with lemon. His stomach growled while he stood in the elevator waiting to reach the top floor. The food looked so good, and he had to wait another twenty minutes for a meeting in Kaiba’s office to end before actually finally presenting it on Kaiba’s desk.

“I just had this two days ago,” Kaiba immediately complained. He ate the pickled plum off the rice before sighing dramatically, giving Jonouchi a glare. “And it’s cold.” 

“I had to-” Jonouchi started, but Kaiba waved his hand at him before he could even finish his sentence. _Asshole_.

“At least you got my tea right. I would be concerned about your intelligence if you had managed to fuck that up,” Kaiba smirked, and Jonouchi frowned before finally being dismissed. 

How was he supposed to do this for _six months_? 

* * *

The one good thing about Kaiba Corporation employment was the housing. Jonouchi only had to take a quick bus to reach the apartment building, and he had a quick two flights of stairs before reaching his floor of residence, a small studio with simple, modern wood furniture and a decent tv. To his astonishment, the company had moved his things for free (although Jonouchi didn’t own much), and he took pleasure in finally living someplace halfway decent in a nice and safe neighborhood. 

He was right outside the edge of downtown. Opening the sliding doors to his balcony, Jonouchi walked outside and sighed, the heat beating down on him but leaving his cheeks feeling pleasantly warm. Kaiba Corporation Tower was facing him, and Jonouchi would have rather lived on the other side of the building than see that sight every day, but he figured he was too low on the totem pole to ask for a different unit. 

Only a few large companies actually offered housing for employees. Jonouchi couldn’t complain, really. When he turned on the tv, the picture was clear and the resolution was four times better than the cheap set his father had bought from a pawn shop. There wasn’t a fancy western-style bed in the space to sleep on, but Jonouchi had been raised on futons and he could tolerate the spartan lifestyle of living without. A cheap, low platform bed was still better than anything he’d had before. His kitchen also had new appliances and the bathroom was clean.

His other friends had grown up with western-style beds. Jonouchi least had a leather sofa now, and he could sleep on that too if the bed didn’t end up working out.

There was just one thing that concerned him now. A piece of mail that sat on his coffee table, a small package, was inspiring Jonouchi’s anxiety. He had picked it up and looked over the sender’s name again and again before leaving it on the table.

Hirutani’s auto shop, on the south side of town. Hirutani had been in jail for years...

“I should just toss this shit in the garbage,” thought Jonouchi out loud. “I bet this is just some joke porno tape. He always made terrible pranks.” 

But Jonouchi’s stomach wouldn’t stop from tightening into thick, heavy coils whenever he looked at it. Eventually he ripped the brown paper across the top and pulled out a disk. He'd nearly dropped it, it was so small and light. The label on it said “Second Copy” and the date was one he hadn’t been able to forget yet.

The end of his gang initiation. He could barely remember it, he’d been so drunk. Why would Hirutani send something so... fucked up? Jonouchi wasn’t a part of the gang anymore. Hirutani knew that. 

“It has to be a joke,” Jonouchi argued. “That’s all. He’s just trying to freak me out.” 

He should have left the damn thing at the old apartment to be thrown out, but Jonouchi couldn’t curb his curiosity. The package had to do with him somehow. Hirutani didn’t just randomly send gifts to people’s apartments.

But when Jonouchi popped the disk into his old laptop and he saw himself on the screen, he felt like his soul had been torn out of his body. This wasn’t some porno joke. This was him. Bile reached the back of Jonouchi’s throat, and he rushed to the toilet to relieve himself before he could think to turn the computer off, the sounds of Hirutani’s laughter ringing through his ears.

His eyes burned when he looked at the computer screen, and Jonouchi knew he looked like shit, not having slept well the night before. It was past noon, and already he’d been chewed out by Kaiba for making three mistakes (one about the lunch he’d given him, the other two he couldn’t remember) despite Suzuki’s continued assistance. He’d had to pick up Kaiba’s dry cleaning first thing before coming to the office too, which meant Jonouchi had to wake up long before anyone else just to make sure he’d have it ready before Kaiba bothered to arrive.

Despite being a morning person, it was still draining to him.

It was just after eating lunch that Jonouchi finally felt somewhat relaxed. The worst part of his day already over. He liked that his desk was at least open and near the front of the Executive Office, so he could see all the people who passed by him to and from Kaiba’s office. The other two assistants had actual offices, their doors always open but Jonouchi couldn’t see their faces until he bothered to step inside.

Suddenly a figure in black passed by him in a rush, and Jonouchi could make out the trim figure of a woman with dyed blond hair rushing into Kaiba’s office. He wanted to stop her, in case it was just some crazy fan pulling a scheme, but none of the security around seemed concerned. When Jonouchi looked around, he didn’t see anyone besides him reacting.

What did he care if Kaiba got axed by some fangirl, anyway.

“Oh I’m so sorry Jonouchi, I forgot to tell you about Tanaka-san,” Suzuki said as he came out of his office laughing at Jonouchi’s bewildered expression. “She’s a very important person in Kaiba-sama’s life.” 

“Oh?” laughed Jonouchi. He couldn’t help it. It never occurred to him that Kaiba might even like women. He always seemed uninterested, or just plain preoccupied. The guy behaved like a robot more than half the time, and when he wasn’t acting electronic, he was either behaving like a psycho or a raving lunatic. Did he just _buy off_ some dumb girl to make himself appear normal? That seemed more likely. 

“Tanaka-san is his girlfriend,” Suzuki explained, “She comes every few days to visit him. Usually it was Kiruhara’s responsibility to tend to her needs, but since she’s gone, that’s now your job.”

“Tend to her needs?” echoed Jonouchi, as he tried to fight back another round of snickering. “What exactly does that mean?”

It sounded sexual, although Jonouchi was sure it wasn’t. If only. That actually might make his day more exciting. It didn’t seem likely that Kaiba was capable of doing anything sexual to anyone. His sexuality had to be... duel monsters. That sounded accurate in Jonouchi’s mind.

“Whatever Tanaka-san wants, you take care of,” Suzuki sighed. “Kaiba-sama’s too busy to take her out much, so he had Kiruhara do it. Sometimes she wants to go shopping. You take her out and buy her whatever she wants. There’s an expense account that you’ll be responsible for, so I’ll have to teach you all about that, but it’s not anything difficult. Just don’t think about buying anything for yourself.” 

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” 

He needed the job. And what would he buy with Kaiba’s credit card? Besides more duel monsters cards, although that wouldn’t help him much now since he couldn’t play professionally. The only other thing that sounded appealing was alcohol.

“I’ll get you sorted out before she comes back out for the trip,” Suzuki said as he waved Jonouchi into his office, “You’ll like this part of the job. She goes out all afternoon usually and you won’t have to be here getting heckled by the boss.” 

“I like the sound of that.” 

Finally, the job was turning out to not be so terrible. 

* * *

The trip wasn’t nearly as interesting as it had first sounded to Jonouchi, but it was leagues above his usual work schedule. He ended up taking Tanaka to an upscale department store. Takashimaya was definitely a new experience for Jonouchi. Walking in, he knew it would cost him a whole month’s rent to just be allowed to breathe in there. Looking at the prices, he couldn’t believe that people who pay that much money for clothing. He would never be able to afford anything like this. Well, for now anyway. Once he could get out there and become a real, sponsored duelist, he’d be able to start living the life he wanted. 

Which should’ve already happened. Instead, he was stuck prancing around a store buying shit for some some dumb blonde because he was Kaiba’s damn errand boy. 

_Fuck Kaiba_.

Although, Tanaka wasn’t that bad to be around and, okay, she wasn’t dumb either. Once Suzuki explained to Jonouchi how to report the expenses, he gave him a credit card for the trip. Tanaka had her own car that she drove around town, a ridiculous sports convertible that Jonouchi didn’t know the name of but knew Honda would. He was stuck in the passenger side as the chick drove nuts around the city before finally turning into the Takashimaya parking structure. 

While Jonouchi was extremely grateful to be out of the vehicle, the ride hadn’t been absolutely terrifying. Tanaka was a very talkative person who gave Jonouchi a comforting feeling as if he had known her for years. 

“How long have you known Kaiba?” 

Jonouchi was curious as to how someone like Kaiba, who couldn’t be bothered to hold a conversation with anyone unless it did something for him, could be with a woman who had such a bold personality. Though it was obvious that they both came from the same social circle, it just seemed strange that Kaiba would be interested in knowing someone like her, especially on such an intimate level. Jonouchi inwardly cringed at the thought of Kaiba being intimate with a woman, it just didn’t feel right. 

“We met at a party,” Tanaka laughed as she seemed engaged with looking at several different displays inside the giant store she’d settled upon, “I haven’t known him really for that long. I just moved back to Japan recently. Aren’t you a little nosey for an assistant?” she teased, bumping Jonouchi lightly on the shoulder.

“Just curious,” Jonouchi mumbled, feeling himself blush slightly. He was used to asking brash questions; he was still having to get used to being more polite. Asking questions that were personal was probably not the best thing to do with his boss’s girlfriend. Especially since said boss was Kaiba Seto, who was looking for any reason to fire him in the first place. J _ust six months, that’s it. I can do this for six months. Then I’ll be in America and I won’t have to put up with that prick’s bullshit._

“Kurihara never asked me questions at all,” Tanaka continued, “She was as silent as a mouse usually. I mean, she wasn’t rude but she was boring.” Tanaka sighed before dragging Jonouchi into the luxury bag section of the big department store, going through leather purses like a fiend. 

“I sometimes used to wish that Suzuki would take me,” she joked, “He’s kinda cute. But you’re a suitable replacement, I guess.” 

Jonouchi laughed at that, glad that she wasn’t offended by his behavior. If he had to be stuck shopping with anyone, he was happy it was with a woman who wasn’t expecting him to act as a silent sentinel whose only job was to be a baggage carrier. He was never good at staying quiet for very long. 

“You said you moved back to Japan? Where did you move from, if you don’t mind me asking?” Jonouchi asked as Tanaka piled a couple of purses that she seemed to find suitable into her arms as she moved onto the next section. 

“Singapore,” Tanaka answered in a sing-song voice. “My father owns a corporation there. It’s nice, because the shopping is great and I loved clubbing at casinos, but I needed to come back home after a while. There’s not enough Japanese people there, just Chinese all over.” 

She stuck out her tongue before finding exactly what she was looking for. Dumping the other purses into Jonouchi’s arms, grabbed a red hot Fendi bag from the wall display and swung it over her shoulder. 

“Hot, huh?” She asked, “What do you think?” 

“It looks good,” Jonouchi smiled at her as she admired herself in the mirror. She reminded him of Mai, with her love of going out and giving honest opinions. Same bottle blond looks and perfectly done makeup. Tanaka was even wearing a leather jacket, although hers was black.

“You must think it’s odd having to come here on shopping trips with me like this,” Tanaka spoke up again once it appeared like she’d made up her mind over what she wanted to get. “It’s just the kind of arrangement we have. I don’t see Kaiba-kun very often. He’s always busy, you know. Important people are like that. Elusive. It makes them mysterious.” 

She giggled before leaving Jonouchi behind to reach the register. Jonouchi looked back at her with a confused look on his face. What was the point of being in a relationship if the boyfriend couldn’t be bothered to make time to be with her? Though it didn’t seem like Tanaka cared all that much... 

It still irritated Jonouchi that he knew Kaiba could’ve made some free time to spend with his girlfriend but instead decided to buy her something and continue working. The only thing Kaiba seemed to make time for was duel monsters and making Jonouchi’s life a living hell. 

“You’re supposed to pay, silly!” Tanaka scolded, “Come do your job!” 

“Oh! Yeah, sorry,” Jonouchi shook his head as he handed over the business card to the cashier. He felt a wave of embarrassment come and pass over him as soon as he realized just how much the damn purse cost. Over ten thousand yen. _What. The. Fuck._ No wonder Tanaka didn’t seem distressed about Kaiba not seeing her himself. Maybe this was what kept her around. 

“I’ve never seen so much money blown before over a damn bag,” Jonouchi muttered.

“Oh, you gotta keep up with the other cool kids, you know,” Tanaka teased. She happily took the big carrying bag from the sales rep and swung it back and forth like some amused kid who’d just been given a toy from a toy store. “Well, might not have noticed but we come from very different worlds.” 

“No kidding,” Jonouchi remarked, “Where I come from, that money you spent is rent.” 

Not even rent. He never spent that much on rent. Unfortunately, Jonouchi grew up in subsidized housing, which wasn’t anything to brag about. His dad had drank his income dry and it was a miracle that they even had food, because Jonouchi wasn't sure when there was a paycheck coming since the old man was in-between jobs all the damn time. 

Rich people were incredible. Although Jonouchi liked nice things, he never wanted to be so extravagant. Spending money like that- on a damn purse, no less- was a waste. 

“It’s not my fault I was spoiled as a kid,” Tanaka replied. She was grinning, her eyes bright despite them being a dark brown color. At least she wasn’t wearing colored contacts, like Mai and Anzu frequently did. “I wasn’t told no very often. My dad gave me everything. I think he was just trying to make up for my parent’s divorce. Parents are funny like that.” 

Jonouchi nodded, not sure how to reply. Was this the sort of conversation they should be having? It seemed rather personal. Maybe Tanaka had no one to talk to, but this just didn’t seem all that appropriate. Should he change the subject? Or would that just offend her? 

“Parents are strange,” Jonouchi remarked, but he knew better than to bring up his issues. He was working, after all, and he didn’t want to get complaints from Kaiba saying that he was treating his job like a picnic outing. “I bet he was just trying to do his best.” 

“Something like that,” mused Tanaka. She seemed slightly distracted as they left the store, her eyes wandering everywhere. Her direction was rather aimless before they reached a fancy looking coffee shop. Then finally she paused, staring at the cute plastic food displays before turning to Jonouchi.

“You like pasta, right?” 

“Hell yeah!” Jonouchi was always ready to eat. 

“Let’s go then, handsome.”


	4. Chapter 4

Kurihara had been gone for only a week, but for Kaiba, it felt much, much longer. His team of assistants had always been a strong force in his office, but with Kurihara gone, it felt like everything was spinning quickly out of control.

His inner sense of peace was taking a nosedive.

First, Jonouchi ruined his coffee nearly every morning. Kaiba wasn’t sure just how he was managing it, but it always tasted either far too sweet or far too bitter, and Kaiba could hardly handle dairy. Whenever he tasted any hint of milk in his drink, he wanted to just toss the thing into Jonouchi’s face to teach him a lesson, but Human Resources wouldn’t allow for it.

Nor would the law, if Kaiba took the time to actually think about it.

There were also his meetings. Each week he had a departmental staff meeting which was catered and Kurihara routinely sat in to take notes. There was no way Jonouchi could be left with the responsibility of actually recording the entire one to three hour meetings (depending on what all was going on), so that task had to be shifted over to Suzuki. As if he didn’t already have enough on his plate...

Just seeing Jonouchi each day turned Kaiba’s mood foul. It didn’t matter what he did. Just going past his desk each day was enough to put a permanent scowl on Kaiba’s face.

Maybe his petty revenge scheme was a mistake, but there was no way in hell he was going to allow Jonouchi the opportunity to go to America on his dime.  _ And represent him _ . 

Even when he wasn’t around, Kaiba couldn’t be spared reminders of his existence. Akikio returned to the office earlier than predicted, and while he didn’t mind the intrusion, it came as a great annoyance to hear her talk about Jonouchi like he was some kind of great friend. One outing together, and she was suddenly singing his praises.

And she bad mouthed Kurihara, who was always professional and reliable. 

He didn’t want to hear it. It would be impossible to switch Suzuki to dealing with her, but he’d have to find some way to make sure she didn’t have a reason to go on and on at the mouth about him again.

Looking at the computer monitor, Kaiba realized the time. At last, his lunch hour. He didn’t have much to deal with that afternoon, and a smirk settled on his face before he got up from his desk and waltzed outside into the main foyer.

The entire staff was quiet, just passing through quietly. The only real audible sounds Kaiba could hear was the desk staff answering phone calls, but then he heard Jonouchi’s brawdy laugh as he left the office, followed by a smirking Suzuki. 

“I’m changing my routine,” Kaiba simply stated, staring first at Suzuki until he’d fixed his face to look at Jonouchi just as darkly. “Don’t bother collecting my lunch. I need my office fixed, there’s instructions on my desk. Have it ready before I come back.” 

“Okay, I’ll get right on it,” Jonouchi said as he passed by Kaiba on his way to the office. 

“Also, my personal phone book needs verifying,” Kaiba continued, “I need that done by this afternoon. And before you leave, there’s also dinner reservations that need to be made for my regular place. If there’s no table available, figure it out.” Kaiba went silent for a moment, going over his list of things to delegate before he finally broke into a grin, “And lastly, I need you at my apartment tonight to prepare the paperwork for tomorrow’s department meeting. Make plans with Isono to meet me at 7pm after I finish up with Tanaka-san.” 

He turned to Suzuki, “This isn’t a group assignment. Training wheels are off.” 

“Yes, sir!” Suzuki blurted, and he did a complete change of direction before going into his office and losing the door. 

Jonouchi appeared stunned. 

“I don’t have to repeat myself, do I?” 

“No, I got it,” Jonouchi said through gritted teeth. He made his way back towards Kaiba’s office, hands clenched into fists. 

Now at least that was settled. With Jonouchi retreating to his fate, Kaiba could take heart in knowing that at least his actions weren’t in vain. Jonouchi appeared absolutely miserable. With enough time, hopefully the job would wear him down into nothing and the obnoxious blond duelist would be out of his life for good. 

* * *

_ Fuck Kaiba.  _ This seemed to be the recurring mantra for Jonouchi as he sorted through the work that was delegated to him. Most of it seemed rather pointless and was probably just created for him because Kaiba seemed to have a personal goal to make his life a living hell. What Jonouchi couldn’t understand was why he wouldn’t even let Suzuki help him. He had only been working at KaibaCorp for a handful of days. Surely it was reasonable to expect that he’d still need some help from his superiors. 

_ ‘The least Suzuki could do is come out of his office so I could have something good to look at while I’m doing this’,  _ Jonouchi thought as he started making copies of the forms that Kaiba had left him. Jonouchi caught himself smiling as he thought about Suzuki. 

Suzuki was tall, taller than Jonouchi by a couple of centimeters, though he didn’t have the muscular build that Jonouchi liked. He still managed to present himself with a sense of authority, but his brown eyes never lost their warmth, which was something that Jonouchi found to be his most attractive feature. He always had a friendly, open vibe to him. His personality seemed kind.

Jonouchi couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t drawn to other men, although he tried not to think about it too much. In his younger years, he hadn’t quite accepted that it was attraction that he was feeling. His first thought was that his interest was due to the fact that he admired and wanted to be like the strong men that he idolized, but Jonouchi quickly learned that his wants and needs were more multifaceted than just the simple teenage desire for male-peer acceptance. Jonouchi understood now that he sexually desired men alongside women, and it was something that he was perfectly okay with.

He wasn’t exactly ready to start shouting that fact out from the rooftops, though. 

While he found himself sneaking glances at Suzuki, he knew better than to try flirting with him. For starters, they worked together and Jonouchi didn’t need to make his work life any more challenging than it already was for him. 

However, Jonouchi’s biggest reason for keeping his attraction under wraps was because of Kaiba. Being attracted to other men wasn’t something he wanted anyone privy to, and the thought of Kaiba having that much blackmail over him made his blood run cold. He didn’t need to give Kaiba any more fuel to use against him. 

Growling in frustration as he tried a second time to call the restaurant, Jonouchi finally realized that he was unable to get through. He didn’t understand why Kaiba insisted on making a reservation to some ritzy place on such short notice. Surely if it was important enough he would’ve booked his dinner weeks ago. Instead, he was forcing it onto someone who had no idea what they were doing at the last minute. 

When he thought about his life after high school, Jonouchi definitely hadn’t been dreaming that he’d be stuck working as Kaiba’s personal bitch. He was not made to be stuck in an office, forced to make copies of pointless papers and make equally pointless phone calls. He needed to be active, and Jonouchi always preferred working with his hands. He preferred shop class or dueling. Kurihara and Suzuki were both much stronger people than he was if they could cope day after day and not feel the need to rip their hair out or drink themselves to death each night after a full day at Kaiba Corp...

As he slammed his head on his desk after the third failure of booking the reservation, Jonouchi saw Asato making her way through the offices on her way to her own. Jonouchi perked up and quickly leaped from his chair as he made his way over to his supervisor. ‘ _ Kaiba said that Suzuki couldn’t help me, he never said I couldn’t ask someone else for help’,  _ Jonouchi reasoned internally.

“Asato-sama,” he interrupted, trying his best to seem polite. The wary looking late middle aged woman turned around to gaze at him, her dark brown eyes seemingly peering through his soul. She always appeared tired, but in the office, she was as sharp as an eagle's eyes and always knew what was going on.

“Suzuki alerted me of your current predicament,” Asato chuckled, “Kaiba-sama doesn’t seem to like you very much. But he’s not here right now, so come to my office. I’ll help you with your tasks.”    


“Oh thank you so much!” Jonouchi couldn’t help but bow low at the offer in gratitude, and the lady laughed at him just a little bit before waving him over.

Apparently if Jonouchi alerted the restaurant of whom from Kaiba Corporation wanted the private table, they were more willing to make the last-minute reservations. He couldn’t believe it. Kaiba had so much sway over people and the man on the other end of the phone all but had a panic attack when Jonouchi told him that Kaiba Seto wanted a table.

Names carried so much weight. Why did Jonouchi’s own have to be so damn common? 

“You better get a move on with the furniture change,” Asato warned, “Before Kaiba-sama returns. He’s very particular about his office. Follow his instructions carefully.” 

Jonouchi nodded, hurrying to Kaiba’s office before shutting the double doors and grabbing the messy note that had been left on the executive desk.

Kaiba wanted the entire room redone.

Letting out a sigh, Jonouchi got to work. Everything was heavy and he didn’t dare do anything to mark up the furniture. He was so thankful for his natural physical abilities. Someone as small as Yugi probably wouldn’t be able to manage it, although Jonouchi wished Honda had been there with him. Together, they would have completed everything in half the time...

It didn’t take too long to accomplish though. Still though, it took more strength than Jonouchi was used to putting out to get everything to Kaiba’s specifications in the room. Not breaking the electronics in the process had also been a concern, although he’d managed it. He still had the phone list to complete, and he could feel the weight of numbers and names weighing down his shoulders when he heard the door click and the sound of feet crossing the room before looking up and catching Kaiba’s gaze.

He was wearing gym clothes. It was like the strangest thing Jonouchi had ever seen in his life. His face felt hot. Suddenly it felt almost intimate, like he wasn’t supposed to ever see Kaiba dressed in such a casual way. Like he was naked or something.

Kaiba didn’t appear nearly so bothered, and he didn’t say a word when he snatched a file off his desk and waltzed right back towards the doors. Jonouchi got a whiff of his post-workout scent as Kaiba passed him, but he didn’t even smell bad... He smelled... actually kind of nice. 

_ Fuck _ . 

“You should vacuum this room after you’re done,” Kaiba announced. Like Jonouchi was the janitor. “Don’t be late tonight.” 

He was out of the room before Jonouchi could manage a reply. And thank goodness for that.

It took a lot of self control on Jonouchi’s part to not admire Kaiba, from far away. It had been easy to manage when Jonouchi was a teenager; he’d truly hated him. The whole Death T incident was never too far away from his mind then, but now it seemed like a far away dream rather than a memory. Jonouchi would never consider Kaiba ugly to look at, but his attitude made him unattractive and unbearable to be around.

But seeing him in the black athletic gear... Jonouchi hadn’t expected to ever see Kaiba’s chest and abs so well-defined underneath the thin layers of an under armour shirt. Life just wasn’t fair to him.

Outside of professional runaway models, Kaiba had one of the most physically appealing male bodies Jonouchi had ever seen. He was going to have to find some sort of way to bleach that image of toned, lean muscles on Kaiba’s tall, wide-shouldered frame before he gave himself an aneurysm from frustration. His situation was so twisted. Frowning, Jonouchi set his mind to work.

The sooner he finished, the better. Maybe being in Suzuki’s presence would restore his peace of mind. 

* * *

Like clockwork, Isono had appeared once it was time to leave the office. Jonouchi had spent the entire time dishing out phone calls, buying an early dinner at the dining facility before it closed for the night and eating at his desk all alone. Asato was the last person out, and she appeared to look almost sympathetic at Jonouchi’s plight, compared to Suzuki who seemed amused as he got his coat on.

“Don’t fret, at least you’ll be paid over time,” he teased. “Maybe he’ll treat you to drinks afterward.” 

“Doubtful,” Jonouchi mumbled. Drinks with Kaiba? As if he’d want to be in his presence. “You should take me out instead.” 

“Perhaps,” snorted Suzuki. “If you don’t get yourself fired before the end of tonight.” He winked playfully before grabbing his briefcase and leaving Jonouchi to sink back into his never ending workload.

When he was truly alone, he’d collapsed his head on his desk and groaned in frustration. Why was he getting stuck with Kaiba all night? Suzuki had no family. They could have left together, to go bar hop or whatever else young corporate types did after they got freed from work. Jonouchi had seen it all his life, but he never had been a part of that culture.

“This shit is not fair...”

Wasn’t ever going to be fair. If life was fair, he would be in California and some other unfortunate would be dealing with his current scenario.

He only snapped out of his bout of self-pity when Isono touched his shoulder and looked down at him expectantly. 

“Kaiba-sama will be expecting us soon.”   


“I’m sorry, I was ready,” Jonouchi stammered, and he rushed to get up before tripping over his own chair and nearly colliding into his desk. He really hated the way Isono just stared at him. The man had no expression on his face. Why did he act like a damn statue all the time? Unless things were nuts, like in Battle City, he seemed not to react to much at all.

Following behind him to the limo, Jonouchi kept his thoughts to himself. His face felt heavy; Jonouchi knew he was frowning. At this point, he wasn’t even going to try and pretend that he was happy to be doing this shit. Why did Kaiba need him? It all seemed so ridiculous.

At least he got to sit in the back of a limo. It was huge, and Jonouchi found it fun when they pulled onto the busy Domino streets and people actually thought he was some celebrity. Did Kaiba like the attention? Probably. He was always a bit of a showboat.

It seemed like a short ride when they pulled up in front of a ritzy looking bar and Jonouchi saw Tanaka on the street embracing Kaiba before giving him a kiss on the cheek. He couldn’t make out their faces beyond that, but the intimacy didn’t last long before Kaiba broke away and quickly got into the vehicle as soon as Isono opened the door for him.

He didn’t say a word. Jonouchi felt distinctly uncomfortable, his presence being largely ignored as Kaiba took out his phone and started doing whatever before finally turning to look at Jonouchi.

“There’s paperwork for tomorrow’s department head meeting you need to organize before I can allow you to go home tonight,” Kaiba remarked, finally pocketing the phone but he just glanced Jonouchi’s way before turning his full attention towards his side window. “Lucky for you, I’m allowing Isono to take you back to your apartment once you finish.” 

“How long do you think it will take me?” Jonouchi asked. He didn’t want to be up all night. Kaiba wasn’t going to let him sleep in. He was set on making his job as unpleasant as humanely (and legally) possible. 

“I’d worry about the task instead of dwelling on the time it will take to complete it,” Kaiba answered in a sharp tone. “It’ll take however long it takes for you to get something right.” 

Snorting, Jonouchi rolled his eyes, thankful for the darkness. Why did everything have to be an underhanded insult? Whatever.

It was a relief when they finally stopped in front of a large hotel building with Kaiba’s name across the front. Jonouchi had seen it in passing many times before but he couldn’t afford to ever go inside of it. The place was huge but also expensive, and twenty thousand yen a night was way out of Jonouchi’s budget. He felt uncomfortable inside, and even stranger following Kaiba up into the elevator. No one looked at him strangely though, or even appeared to have noticed him.

Kaiba had an entire top floor to himself. When they reached the penthouse, Jonouchi tried to pause to take a look at the floor to ceiling windows, the entire view of the Domino City skyline right before his eyes but Kaiba glared at him impatiently. 

“Do you want to finish this thing or not? I’m not paying you to gawk.” 

“I couldn’t help it,” Jonouchi muttered in a low tone. “It’s not like I see this sort of thing everyday.” 

He could see Kaiba rolling his eyes, and Jonouchi felt a little ticked off as he followed him up the stairs and down a hallway before reaching the door to what appeared to be an office. It was quite large, and the furniture looked new and expensive. It all had a sort of Scandinavian feel to it, white and minimalist, and Jonouchi wondered how Kaiba managed to live in a place that appeared more catalog than lived-in. 

Maybe he just barely ever touched anything. 

Several boxes of forms were stacked on the floor, while a large packet sat on the top of Kaiba’s desk, appearing unassuming as Kaiba walked over to pick it up.

“This is the informational packet,” Kaiba explained in a sharp tone, “I need the front page updated with the new cover sheet and the next two pages completed with the script that’s already been printed on the official copy, and your handwriting must be coherent. I will not accept lazy penmanship. You will have to find the rest of the forms and organize them appropriately, and I need thirty copies made.” 

“There aren’t thirty members though,” Jonouchi mumbled.

“Of course not,” Kaiba remarked with a laugh, “But in case you fuck up a bunch, I want to be able to pick out the very best ones from the pile. The rest can be used as copies in case the executives manage to lose their first one. That way, no one has to whine to me about trying to reprint them.” 

Jonouchi could feel his face turn hot, his heart pounding in his chest as he looked over the boxes of papers surrounding him. This could be done in the morning. Kaiba was purposely fucking up his night.

“Unless it’s urgent, do not bother me with anything until you are finished,” Kaiba directed, leaving the room before slamming the door shut.

“Dick,” Jonouchi muttered, “Fucking giant ass dick.” 

He couldn’t even get straight to work right away because he felt so damn annoyed. Pulling back the drapes in the window, Jonouchi just sighed and stared out the window, looking into the city, watching the cars and buses go by as ant-like people scrambled across the pavement. Years ago, he never imagined himself being in a place as grand as the Kaiba Hotel, but now it felt like a prison sentence. 

Six months of this was not going to be possible.

Turning away and dumping his body into Kaiba’s large leather chair, Jonouchi twirled around several times before finally picking up the informational packet and taking a look. He could have done this some other time. This was just busy work. Deliberate busy work. Why was he being punished? Because Mokuba finally took some notice of him? 

Whatever. 

He tried to concentrate on the work. The sooner he got done, the sooner he could go home and enjoy his lovely new bed. If he was careful, he could get the work done quickly and efficiently...

Kaiba came into the room several times after he began, and Jonouchi made an effort not to pay attention to him. He couldn’t help but notice that he was dressed down; instead of the usual business get up, he was wearing black sweatpants and a grey undershirt. His feet were uncharacteristically bare (and so very pale) and Kaiba had a glass of whiskey in his hand.

Not saying anything would be the best course of action. Did Kaiba want him to be out of his place or was he just trying to find a way to prolong the torture? Jonouchi could barely make sense of it now that he was being watched.

It was fine for a while, but then Kaiba would disappear after a time, returning with a full glass and critically watching Jonouchi until he finally spoke.

“Your kanji looks terrible,” he remarked, “Rewrite it.” 

Grinning and bearing it, Jonouchi grabbed a new sheet and tried again.    
  
“It still looks awful,” Kaiba continued. “Did you never learn how to write correctly?” 

“I’d do better at this if you weren’t watching from over my shoulder,” Jonouchi gripped. Kaiba was leaning against the back wall, appearing as if he was almost bored, still sipping on his fucking drink. Although it wasn’t like he was breathing down his neck, Jonouchi still didn’t like the close scrutiny. 

He had to write some three or four times before Kaiba finally found it adequate enough. Grumbling, Jonouchi decided to just finish the pages all at once, trying to take his time to really pay attention to the strokes of his pen before time passed and he had all sixty pages finished. His hand was starting to cramp. When he looked back at Kaiba, he appeared to be grinning almost. Jonouchi wasn’t entirely sure.

“You seem to get more work done when you’re being directed more closely,” Kaiba noted with a laugh. “What has Suzuki been teaching you? Is he doing his job properly?”

Jonouchi gulped, his body turning cold suddenly as his mind went blank. What kind of question was that? Was Kaiba trying to set up Suzuki? He wasn’t going to say anything bad about the guy. He liked him. But what exactly was Kaiba trying to get out of a question like that? 

“He’s trying to teach me all he knows,” Jonouchi answered truthfully. “We both know I’m not cut out for this office stuff, so please don’t blame him for my failures.”

“Oh, I don’t blame him for anything,” Kaiba answered bitterly. “Although I have a feeling Suzuki isn’t suffering all that much from having to deal with you on a daily basis.” 

“Most people don’t find my presence as irritating as you do,” Jonouchi challenged. Kaiba paused, his eyes narrowing before he finally finished his glass and snorted. “I might not be the best person in that office,” Jonouchi continued, “But everyone knows I’m trying. Even if you don’t think so.” 

“You’re only trying now because I have the thing you want most,” Kaiba remarked.

“Well, that’s how the world works, doesn’t it?” Jonouchi finally laughed, more to himself than at Kaiba. “Nobody works for free. Besides, I’m used to having to work my butt off for something I want. I’ve never gotten anything in my life for free.” 

Not that Kaiba did either, but he seemed to believe he was the only person who had ever suffered from an unfair, cruel world. 

Was it even that cruel to him? Sure, he suffered losing his parents and Jonouchi knew that Gozaburo was no joke, but Kaiba was rich now. He had everything he could want by the age of sixteen. Here Jonouchi was still scrambling to make life decent for himself and Kaiba did not care about anyone else’s troubles and pain but his own. He’d always been selfish. Everything always had to be about him.

“I’m almost done,” Jonouchi remarked. He had more than half of the packets finished, and with the writing portion out of the way, the worst part was over. 

“Aren’t you just pleased with yourself,” Kaiba replied in a low, dark tone. He moved off from his “perch” and left the room momentarily, Jonouchi feeling almost puzzled before he returned again with another filled glass of whiskey.

_ Man _ , Jonouchi thought,  _ the guy sure can drink _ .

“Did you make Kurihara do late nights like this,” Jonouchi asked boldly. Kaiba was back in the room, his eyes appearing almost unfocused, like he was drunk. 

“No.” 

“But you’re making me do this crap,” Jonouchi replied. “Part of your vendetta, right?”

As long as Kaiba was drunk, Jonouchi wasn’t going to get too worried about some backlash. He’d have to excuse it later. It wasn’t Jonouchi’s problem that Kaiba decided to booze up while supervising him.

Jonouchi pressed, “You didn’t enjoy watching her scramble for you as much as you apparently enjoy watching me?”

“Not particularly,” Kaiba answered coolly. He snorted again as he took a sip. Jonouchi could feel his eye twitch at that answer. 

“So what, is this some sort of power trip then?” Jonouchi asked. 

“Quality evening entertainment,” Kaiba replied back, “It makes the time pass by before the alcohol starts to kick in. It’s either this or staring at a computer screen.” 

“Well, I’m glad I’m sparing you some boredom, Kaiba,” grumbled Jonouchi . When he turned his head away to look at his work, he could still feel Kaiba’s sharp blue eyes bearing into his head. Why did this feel so weird? Was it the incident in the office that afternoon? Maybe. It didn’t help that Kaiba was dressed down again, and Jonouchi avoided looking up to notice.

“It’s not entirely boredom,” Kaiba spoke up in a more serious tone, “Do you know how lonely it can be to be living like this, completely alone? At least when Mokuba was here, there was noise. Now this place is like some sort of empty crept. You wouldn’t understand, you’ve never been alone in your life.” 

Jonouchi shook his head. “You can’t complain about not having something you never wanted,” he argued, “You always rejected all of us, especially me and Yugi. You can’t just change your mind suddenly because your brother grew up and left you. What did you expect? Him to stay twelve forever?” 

Kaiba wasn’t answering. He was nursing his drink. Jonouchi rolled his eyes.

He didn’t need to be having this conversation, even if it did give him something to take his frustration out on. Time was wasting away. 

“I can appreciate human contact without desiring a relationship,” Kaiba argued in a disgruntled tone. “It’s not difficult to do. I’m not looking for a friendship. All human beings have a need for close interaction with others, but bringing along emotional baggage is not necessary. It’s not even preferable.” 

He paused as if he was thinking over these words. 

“My brother can’t provide for all my needs. His company just created a distraction. That’s all a sibling can provide.” 

“What are you even talking about?” sighed Jonouchi. Was Kaiba speaking in riddles? “If you have something to say, just say it.” 

Kaiba chuckled. “You won’t like it.” 

“Try me.” 

He’d finished the packets. Getting up from his seat, Jonouchi collected his things before grabbing the packets and putting them into a box. He picked up the damn thing, placing it against his chest as Kaiba walked up near him, standing directly in his way. It didn’t come off as aggressive, per say, but Jonouchi could definitely feel himself become more and more anxious. 

Unless Kaiba was about to help him carry those boxes out (fat chance), he didn’t need to be standing so close. 

“Are you gonna tell me what you’ve been talking about or not?” Jonouchi pressed again, his mouth twitching nervously as he tried to plant a bluffing smile on his face, “Spit it out. I can tell you’re just dying to say it.”

“Sexual frustration,” Kaiba dead panned. Jonouchi’s hands nearly dropped the box, and he could feel his mouth go slack before he caught himself and took a step back. Kaiba only appeared amused, his eyes bright as he snorted at Jonouchi’s reaction. He thought his answer was funny.

“You  _ what _ ?” For some reason, it never occurred to Jonouchi that Kaiba could feel something as utterly animalistic as sexual desire. Certainly, he wasn’t a robot, but Jonouchi didn’t like thinking of him as a horny young man, either. Especially when he could easily make out the guy’s biceps through his shirt. “What does that have to do with me coming here?” 

To this, Kaiba almost appeared unsure of himself before answering, “I know you have peculiar tastes. You could stay and find out what I mean... Or just go home and forget I said anything.” 

“ _ Peculiar tastes? _ ” 

Face turning on a million degrees, Jonouchi flushed before the sensation spread down to his neck and ears, his lobes burning intensely. He wanted to bolt out of there but Kaiba was still standing in his way. Despite hesitating with his words, he was so fucking bold. His gaze was unblinkingly steady. 

“I think you read me wrong,” Jonouchi stammered, trying to fight back the nervousness that sprang up from his gut, “I’m going home.” 

Kaiba stepped out of his way (thank god), but his face darkened a tad before he spoke up as Jonouchi nearly crossed the threshold of the door, “Then don’t forget to come early tomorrow to prepare the boardroom for the meeting. Also, it’s your responsibility to pick up the catering and have it ready. Don’t be late. And I expect the coffee to be perfect.” 

Nodding his head, Jonouchi rushed to close the door before bolting out of there. 

* * *

Once Jonouchi was safely back at his apartment, he began to worry himself with what had occurred back in Kaiba’s office. He didn’t want to think about it, and his stomach clenched uncomfortably many times during the ride, Jonouchi watching Isono from through the glass divider as he was chauffeured through the city and returned home. 

He had never in his life seen Kaiba so out of control before, and Jonouchi couldn’t say he liked it. It wasn’t like he’d never been around guys who were flirty while drinking, but there was something very wrong with _ Kaiba _ trying to flirt with  _ him _ . 

Stripping on the way to the bathroom, Jonouchi scrambled to brush his teeth and floss before collapsing on his bed and pulling a large white comforter over him. The darkness was not welcoming, and Jonouchi fought back and forth in his mind over turning on a night light before berating himself and forcing the fear to be pushed far back into his mind. 

Why did Kaiba hate him so much if he was attracted to him? Did he get some kind of sexual satisfaction from forcing Jonouchi to work under him everyday? Jonouchi knew Kaiba was strange, but that seemed beyond eccentric. Neither one of them was exactly normal, but it wasn’t like Jonouchi was parading his sexual preferences everywhere.

Or at least, he didn’t think he was. 

Jonouchi’s stomach dropped when he realized that he’d been checking out Kaiba, more than once, since coming under his employment. It wasn’t like he was being blatant about it, but Jonouchi still knew when he was doing it. Honestly, he didn’t think he could help it. Kaiba wasn’t ugly, and it was hard not to notice him when he was far enough away to enjoy as a pleasant distraction instead of the sharp-tongued taskmaster Jonouchi was beginning to fear when in close quarters.

He had a feeling Kaiba was purposely punishing him for not staying over. Although he had no way of knowing what Kaiba would have done if he’d decided to stay. There was a possibility that Kaiba would have dumped his tasks on him after he’d done...  _ whatever it was _ he wanted to do to Jonouchi.

If it had been anyone else, Jonouchi might have been tempted, out of curiosity. He’d never been really intimate with any guy before beyond fooling around at some clubs; he'd only ever had penetrative sex with a woman. It wasn’t like ladies were not enough or didn’t appeal to him any longer (they always did) but men had something about them that just was more exciting to him. Sucking off an attractive man was the second most exciting thing to him behind getting into a street fight... He’d never met a girl yet who made him feel that same way. 

And Jonouchi wasn’t going to get into anymore street fights. 

Maybe Kaiba was reading signals Jonouchi didn’t think he was putting out. Sure, Kaiba made him feel nervous. Real nervous. Jumpy, even. It was the same kind of anxious energy Jonouchi felt when he was attracted to someone (and he was sometimes attracted to Kaiba), but he didn’t  _ like _ Kaiba. 

And just as importantly, Kaiba didn’t like him. 

Hopefully the drunk invitation would be forgotten by morning. It would be difficult to manage himself in Kaiba’s presence if Kaiba was harboring a grudge. He knew neither of them would ever tell anyone about it, and the last thing Jonouchi wanted was another reason for Kaiba to come down on him when things were already difficult at the office...

It wouldn’t be forever, Jonouchi tried to remind himself. It would eventually end.

He felt like he was drifting, his body boneless and heavy yet floating in space before Jonouchi opened his eyes and found himself shrouded in darkness. No longer in his bedroom, he looked around, recognizing the back of the cafe J’z, where Hirutani’s gang used to hang out after school when the cops wouldn’t put up with them loitering on the streets. 

There was a TV on, and Jonouchi saw a woman bouncing on a man’s lap, giving reverse cowgirl while the man held tightly to her ponytail and spanked her. It made his head spin; he hadn’t watched porn like that since he was a teenager, but then he heard the sounds of grunting next to him. Becoming more aware, Jonouchi turned his head to the sound. Hirutani was resting against the sofa next to him, his head thrown back against the cushions. 

At first Jonouchi was alarmed, and then confused, but it suddenly occurred to him that something hard and fleshy was in his right hand, and looking down, he gasped when he realized he was giving Hirutani a hand job. 

“Go faster, don’t be lazy about it,” Hirutani gasped between breaths. “If you want to be my second in command, you better make this good.” 

Was this a dream or a memory? Definitely a nightmare. He wanted to pull away, but Jonouchi felt grounded to the scene, and it wasn’t until warm viscous fluid finally sputtered over his fingers did Jonouchi finally awake in his bedroom once again to the company of his disturbed thoughts. 


	5. Chapter 5

The only thing Jonouchi could think about that morning was the nightmare he’d had the night before... or should he consider it a memory? It gripped him tightly and continued to trouble him as he tried getting to work, readying the boardroom for the meeting that Kaiba had told him about the night before. He was careful to set up everything as instructed, ensuring that the catering arrived on time and was stationed at the right place while also setting up the informational packets and chairs for each member who would be arriving shortly.

Jonouchi was also careful about Kaiba’s coffee. He knew how fussy Kaiba was about it, and it was Jonouchi’s goal for that day not to be singled out... especially after last night’s strangeness.

The memory of Hirutani was much more distracting to his thoughts than Kaiba’s strange admission, however. Jonouchi tried a long time ago to black out the memory of having gone through gang initiation as a teenager, and he’d realized during that time that Hirutani had singled him out from the group as they were pledging. He’d been the best fighter, by far. Even when he was losing in a brawl, Jonouchi didn’t get scared. He relished the physicality of street fighting even when it left him more battered than not.

Hirutani said he’d seen something in him. A sort of potential. He’d offered Jonouchi a place by his side, but there would be harder tasks for him to complete if he was going to have that honor. To prove his loyalty. Of course, foolishly, Jonouchi had accepted. He didn’t fear anything at fourteen.

Maybe if his good for nothing dad had been sober and paying attention, Jonouchi wouldn’t have gotten caught up in that mess, but it didn’t matter now. What was going to happen had already happened and Jonouchi was now many years older and he hoped also, much wiser.

Now it was just dealing with Hirutani’s request for money. Refusing to cooperate wasn’t worth the risk of reprisals. Jonouchi tried to remind himself that he needed his Kaiba Corp job. Despite Kaiba’s temper becoming more volatile as the minutes ticked away, Jonouchi told himself that he would not lash out or react at all. He’d try to manage his position with some self-control.

From where Jonouchi was watching, Kaiba had appeared angry all morning long. He come into the office like a whirlwind, slamming the door to his office and leaving the staff unnerved. Jonouchi was too afraid to go inside, having Kaiba’s coffee and daily planner ready in his hands. Thankfully Asato came to the rescue, and she delivered the morning ritual while Jonouchi assisted with other tasks, hoping from a distance that he’d be spared interacting with his boss.

But Jonouchi had no such luck because it wasn’t long until Kaiba finally reappeared in the hallway and walked up to him directly.

“Come with me, you’re sitting in as the transcriber.”

“Wha-”

He didn’t have a moment to digest what Kaiba had said before he left him. Jonouchi had to scramble out of his seat and follow behind before feeling relief wash over him as he saw Suzuki standing by the meeting room, materials in hand. While he wasn’t smiling, his eyes noticeably shined when he saw Jonouchi. They took seats together against the wall as Suzuki quickly tried to explain his duties.

“You’ll have to record everything said during this meeting,” he explained in a rush, “As well as who said it and at what time. I’m going to do it this time, but Kaiba-sama wants you ready to take on this responsibility yourself in the next few weeks.”

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” Jonouchi complained, but Suzuki just smiled.

“It’s not so bad, I promise,” Suzuki offered, “We can go over it in more detail once the meeting is over.”

Jonouchi noticed Kaiba giving him an ugly side glance each time Suzuki spoke. Did he remember the night before or was he just in a foul mood looking for someone to take it out on? Whatever, it wasn’t Jonouchi’s concern. As long as Kaiba didn’t try turning him into his personal butt monkey again, Jonouchi would try his hardest to ignore him.

Once the time for the meeting began to loom over them, executives filed in and found their seats, moseying around the brunch table that had been prepared for them. After a few tense minutes, Kaiba cleared his throat and began to speak.

Jonouchi hardly understood corporate talk, but it seemed like to him that Kaiba was receiving considerable backlash concerning the changes made to the new duel disk system that had just entered beta testing. They were always being updated it seemed, but Kaiba had the idea of retiring the old 1.0 version that most users had from Battle City while the board was of the mind to keep them in the system and refocus their attention on other projects.

This, of course, did not play out well.

Suzuki had told Jonouchi that the meetings usually lasted two hours, give or take. This one went on for three, and it seemed like Jonouchi was watching the battle of the wills. Kaiba was practically glaring down the old men who sat surrounding him, and the guarded hostility went back and forth for the longest time until finally Kaiba relented, pushing his proposal back for the next meeting.

Jonouchi had never seen Kaiba get shut down before. He almost gaped, but Suzuki nudged him so he wouldn’t forget himself. When the meeting was finally over, the executives all strolled out and only Kaiba stayed behind, sitting at the head of the table glaring into his phone as he sent out what Jonouchi assumed was a text message.

“Stubborn old men,” he muttered under his breath. Jonouchi thought he’d found the right time to escape, following behind a retreating Suzuki, but before he could make it out, Kaiba snapped his head up and scowled.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he demanded.

Jonouchi stopped in his tracks. “Was I supposed to stay?”

“No, but I have a task for you.” Kaiba pulled out a sheet of paper and scribbled on it quickly before shoving it into Jonouchi’s hands when he got close enough. “Order the largest available gyudon. With extra pickles and sauce, and no egg. If you forget, just read the damn note. Be back in an hour.”

“Yes, I’ll get on it.”

Scrambling to get away, Jonouchi took the note and rushed out of the room, but he noticed the other junior staff entering after he’d walked out. It occurred to Jonouchi that they were getting a free lunch out of the leftovers.

Well fuck him, right?

It was a long flight down to the first floor, and Jonouchi had to hail a taxi and give the directions Kaiba had written down before finally reaching his destination. The restaurant wasn’t particularly close to the office, and there was a nice long line Jonouchi had to wait in before finally being able to request his order. He couldn’t remember Kaiba’s entire request, but at least he had a note in his pocket that could clear it up.

‘Gyudon, extra sauce.’

Jonouchi felt like there was more to it, but when he reached the counter, he felt so rushed by the glaring customers behind him that he just muttered what he could remember, forgetting all the rest of Kaiba’s specifications. After fifteen minutes, his order was done and ready in a container to take back to the office. Although it was not good for his bank account, Jonouchi had ordered some food for himself, asking for the largest size with extra pickles. He grabbed another taxi once both orders were in his hand, and he began to feel apprehensive once he could see Kaiba Corporation Tower looming in the skyline.

He’d rushed back up to the top floor, and with a few minutes to spare, Jonouchi dropped his own order at his desk before going into Kaiba’s office, presenting the food as Kaiba began inspecting it.

“This isn’t right,” he began, “You fucked up my order.”

“I only asked for what you wrote down,” Jonouchi replied back, and he could feel his anxiety begin to spike as Kaiba glared at him, pointing at the egg on top of his pile of beef with his chopsticks.

“I asked for no egg,” Kaiba began, “I told you that not even an hour ago. Are you incapable of remembering anything I tell you? And the extra pickles... Dammit, Jonouchi, this is the regular size.”

This was going terribly.

“I have extra pickles if you want them-,” Jonouchi began but he was cut off by Kaiba’s loud snort as he rolled his eyes.

“Fix this shit if you can, then. You’re lucky I’m not allergic to egg.”

Scrambling out of the office, Jonouchi went through his own container before grabbing the extra pickles that he’d ordered and placing them on Kaiba’s desk. He didn’t want to even look down at Kaiba’s eyes, the color too sharp. He felt so uncomfortable as Kaiba just stared at the pickles before pushing them away.

“Forget it. Go take your lunch break and then have Suzuki come see me when he returns.” Kaiba sighed again. “I have half a mind to replace you.”

‘Then just fire me already,’ thought Jonouchi, but he didn’t dare say anything. Quietly he left Kaiba’s office, feeling dejected as he sat alone at his desk and began to eat.

People always seemed happy around him. They give him pitying smiles, as if they knew what was going on but didn’t want to say anything about it. Did Kaiba always keep some kind of whipping boy in the office to take his anger out on?

Was his anger even anger? Jonouchi wasn’t sure. It made him uncomfortable to think about it, but could Kaiba just hate him because of his frustration he spoke about the night before? Maybe. He didn’t seem so hostile towards anyone else, and his venom did sting. It felt like Kaiba had set him up to fail during lunch just so he could have an excuse to berate him.

Jonouchi’s mind got lost in his thoughts as he ate pensively before he felt someone standing over him. Hair on end, Jonouchi feared looking up, readying himself to see Kaiba’s sharp blue eyes again but instead it was Suzuki, who was grinning and carrying a cup of coffee in his hands.

“I have to drink at least one by noon or else I crash,” he joked. Jonouchi wondered if that was how he did it. Medicated through caffeine. “I could start getting you one too, Jonouchi, if you feel like you need a pick-me-up.”

“No, I’m fine,” Jonouchi lied. “I just feel so horrible at my job.”

“Oh, everyone feels that way when they just start,” Suzuki tried comforting him, “Don’t feel bad about Kaiba-sama, he’s not going to fire you.”

“I know,” Jonouchi agreed, “But sometimes I just wish he would.”

Suzuki laughed. He probably thought Jonouchi was just joking.

“Well, we’re all going out tonight for the enkai that Kaiba-sama is hosting, so that should be at least a relief to you.”

“I wasn’t told anything about a work party,” Jonouchi mumbled. “Was everyone invited except me?”

“Impossible,” Suzuki argued, “I’m sure you were invited, or maybe they didn’t add you to the email list yet. Don’t worry about it, I’ll make sure you are able to come. I can ask Kaiba-sama about it when he’s done with lunch.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Jonouchi sighed, and he played with his food a little as the steam began to dissipate. It wasn’t really warm anymore. His appetite sucked. “Kaiba-sama wanted to see you after you were done eating, but please don’t ask anything about the party.”

“I’m your superior, Jonouchi, you don’t tell me what to do,” Suzuki laughed, “And I’m supposed to take care of you. Don’t worry about it.”

* * *

It was starting to get dark when Kaiba finally quit his work. Since it was a Thursday night, he had not much choice in the matter of taking his juniors out, the expectation having been set since Gozaburo had run the place. If he didn’t go along with it, employee morale would drop, so it was the price Kaiba paid for absolute efficiency and employee loyalty.

Suzuki had stopped by his office, as requested, but Kaiba hadn’t been expecting him to bring up Jonouchi’s exclusion in the night’s events while discussing his lack of progress. The entire conversation left him feeling irritated. Although Suzuki was respectful, he was firm that Kaiba was pushing Jonouchi too hard and that he wasn’t ready for all the tasks being demanded of him. He also felt that Jonouchi wasn’t being treated like an equal member of the team.

The sensible thing to do would be to place Jonouchi in another department, but that wasn’t the point of bringing Jonouchi on board in the first place. Kaiba wanted him to fail. He needed him to fail. Place him anywhere else, and Jonouchi might actually manage to succeed.

“If he comes to the izakaya with the rest of us, you better make sure he behaves,” Kaiba demanded, and he waved Suzuki away once he was finished discussing it. There wasn’t any legitimate reason not to allow Jonouchi to come, besides pettiness... Kaiba did not want to hear his crude voice echoing in his ears past working hours.

But it was too late for that. Suzuki managed to get his way. Kaiba found himself riding in the back of his Bentley alone, frowning as the car pulled up in front of the bar his company frequently patronized. The owners kept a private party room for Kaiba’s get-togethers. As soon as he stepped in, he was immediately led to the backroom, where several of his junior associates were already becoming acquainted with the sake.

They were all sitting on tatami mats and surrounding a low table, food set up and a giant pitcher of beer waiting for anyone who was ready for a drink. There was a bowl of edamame sitting near Kaiba, as well as smoking yakitori. After wiping his hands with a warm towel, Kaiba immediately selected the chicken heart and began nibbling at it before he felt his brain shatter from the noise of bawdy laughter.

It was Suzuki and Jonouchi, both having arrived at the same time. They were both dressed in the office clothes they wore at work, although Jonouchi looked far more relaxed since he’d thrown his suit jacket off and loosened his tie. His hair was a little on the wild side, like he’d messed with it since the last time Kaiba had seen him. He was smiling openly until their eyes locked and Kaiba noticed his entire face fall before looking away.

Jonouchi and Suzuki threw money into the pot for the three hour service. When they finished paying, Suzuki took the nearest seat next to Kaiba, bowing his head with a pleasant smile on his face while Jonouchi sat next to him. They began talking about whatever it was they were laughing about when they’d both arrived inside. Kaiba just watched them from the corner of his eye as Jonouchi started filling Suzuki’s glass with beer.

“Kaiba-sama, you always look so serious after work,” Suzuki began, and Kaiba knew he was about to get roped into some forced conversation because his assistant never wanted to appear rude.

“Have you had something to drink yet?” Suzuki asked.

“I’m not drinking tonight,” Kaiba replied, and he made sure to keep his voice neutral, “I have work to do at home after this.”

“Personal projects, I’m sure,” Suzuki smiled, “Our boss is such a genius, Jonouchi. Every day we get to be near greatness.”

Jonouchi made a face like he didn’t quite believe that.

“It’s my job to be productive,” Kaiba argued, “You shouldn’t give credit to people for doing the bare minimum.”

“And he’s so modest,” Suzuki joked.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. He took another yakitori from the tray and began eating it to keep his mouth busy. It tasted like beef.

“I never had a gift with mechanics,” Suzuki continued, “How about you, Jonouchi? Are you good with your hands?”

Jonouchi appeared startled when Suzuki spoke to him. His hazel eyes were wide, and his cheeks flushed before he swallowed food. His face gave away his embarrassment before he finally answered, “I used to make model kits, but that’s about it.”

“Well, that is something!” Suzuki marveled, “I’ve never done anything like that in my life.”

“My dad used to do them with me,” Jonouchi began, “It was one of the few things we did together growing up. That, and fixing bikes. I couldn’t afford to ever have something new, so I had to go find the parts and figure out how to do my own repairs.”

Jonouchi kept speaking, and while he spoke, Kaiba only half listened to him. He wasn’t paying too much attention to the focus of Jonouchi’s story (which quite honestly didn’t interest him), but just the sounds of the words as they flowed out of his mouth. When he wasn’t being loud, he didn’t sound too terrible. While his accent was still much to be desired, it still had a quality of warmth and charm that Kaiba found intriguing.

However, Kaiba quickly realized he’d been pushed out of the conversation. The longer they spoke together, the louder Jonouchi became until his voice was literally bouncing off the walls of Kaiba’s skull. After a few tense minutes, Kaiba felt ready to tear himself out of the room to escape.

He didn’t know why it bothered him so much. The room was loud in general. Everyone was talking, mainly about things they couldn’t speak about at home in front of their wives or children. Most women didn’t show up at the enkai despite being invited, and while Kaiba didn’t enjoy the lewd nature of men getting together in that kind of way, it was the nature of such events. Usually he could tolerate it, but usually he was also drinking.

It didn’t seem like a good idea after the night before though. His slip up while Jonouchi had been working was unprofessional and inappropriate, but not at all surprising. Kaiba knew he had an unorthodox sexuality, he’d always been rather eccentric since childhood. But usually, he did a better job at keeping his sexual thoughts to himself. He was not in the habit of propositioning employees, or strangers. Having a steady girlfriend made things easier for him, but all it really did was take the edge off. He really didn’t like her that much. She was attractive, but Kaiba never found himself thinking about her when she was away from him.

Kaiba brushed that trail of thoughts away. He didn’t need to be thinking about any of that while in the company of strangers.

He took a few pieces of karaage for himself and ate silently. The chicken tasted pleasant, the dark meat flavorful. Usually he didn’t eat for pleasure, but Kaiba found himself trying to while the sounds of Jonouchi’s voice became more and more distinctive.

Was it too soon to leave? An hour hadn’t even passed yet.

“Kaiba-sama,” Suzuki interrupted, “Are you sure you wouldn’t like a drink? A glass of beer wouldn’t get you drunk,” he promised. From the appearance of his rosy cheeks, Kaiba would tell Suzuki most certainly already was.

“Kaiba probably thinks he’s too good for this cheap stuff,” Jonouchi argued, dropping the honorific in exchange for his usual crude speech, “I bet he only drinks expensive hard alcohol.”

“I’m perfectly capable of enjoying light draft beer,” Kaiba replied back sharply. He could feel his patience dwindling as Jonouchi just smirked at him like he’d won something. “I already told you both I’m not interested in drinking tonight.”

“Ha,” laughed Jonouchi with a smirk, “That’s a first then.”

Turning his eyes to glare at Jonouchi, Kaiba wondered if that had anything to do with the night before. He didn’t feel embarrassed, but Jonouchi’s reaction did piss him off. He wouldn’t be able to say anything about it while he was in a packed room full of people, but Kaiba knew he’d have to bring up that night sometime in the future. Preferably when Jonouchi was alone and not feeling quite so confident.

But then again, what exactly would Jonouchi say in public? Absolutely nothing.

“What’s a first?” Kaiba questioned. He turned his eyes sharply on Jonouchi and refused to look off from his face. Jonouchi quickly appeared very uncomfortable, his eyes darting down towards his beef before he picked up a piece of food and examined it.

“Nothing,” Jonouchi lied, “I just had an idea you’d be miserable tonight since that’s the only mood you seem to express.”

Suzuki laughed nervously like Jonouchi had told a bad joke. He was probably hoping Jonouchi was drunk. Kaiba wasn’t offended. The loser could say whatever he wanted, as long as they weren’t at work..

Kaiba continued to listen to them prattle on until he couldn’t take it anymore. The party was turning louder than he could tolerate. As their boss, he wasn’t obligated to stay the entire time. It was preferred that he leave early. All he had to do was really just show up at the beginning.

Getting up, Kaiba was given his coat by the owner while everyone gave him a cheerful goodbye. Everyone except Jonouchi. His face appeared amused, a smirk planting on his face. Kaiba just scowled at him when Jonouchi threw an arm over Suzuki’s shoulder and took a long swig of beer. It probably meant nothing, but the fact that Jonouchi made it a point to do that right when he’d been looking pissed Kaiba off nonetheless.

He’d be paying for it in the morning, if Jonouchi managed to get drunk enough for a hangover. Then Kaiba would be the one amused, and he’d enjoy every moment of it.


	6. Chapter 6

Jonouchi felt like he was walking on air when he was dropped off outside his apartment complex, his mind still in a buzz from all the beer he’d drank at the party. Suzuki had been kind enough to drive him home even though he lived on the other side of town. While they’d been together, Jonouchi had been tempted to ask him over, but common sense prevailed. Suzuki was his boss, and making a pass at him was a fucking terrible idea. Jonouchi had no idea if he was even interested in men that way or not.

Besides, even if he was into men, Jonouchi knew better than to even consider sleeping with him.

The enkai had been so fun though, even if Kaiba had been in attendance. He left an hour early, and while Jonouchi found him distracting during the beginning of the night, because of all the dirty looks he was giving him, it was also fun to just get under his skin in a public setting. As long as other people were around, Kaiba would have to at least act civil. Under the influence of alcohol, Jonouchi didn’t have to censor himself. It had been liberating. He hoped he’d get invited to another party soon, and maybe he’d sit right next to Kaiba next time just so he could give him an extra hard time.

If he was honest with himself, he knew he was purposely trying to get under Kaiba’s skin. Finally, he had something over him. A secret. Something that probably made Kaiba feel shameful. Hitting on Jonouchi had been his first big mistake. Jonouchi grinned gleefully as he thought about it, not paying much attention to his surroundings as his thoughts played in his mind.

Kaiba liked to appear in control of himself, but he wasn’t perfect. There was finally a crack in his armor. That was enough to make Jonouchi finally feel like he had a chance to get what he wanted from their business relationship. Now Jonouchi was in a position to hold some kind of power over him, by essentially keeping a big secret. No way Kaiba wanted people knowing that he wasn’t perfectly heterosexual.

Jonouchi was meters away from reaching the front doors of the apartment lobby when an arm grabbed his shoulder, forcibly swinging him back as Jonouchi found himself face to face with Hirutani.

He was just as ugly as Jonouchi remembered him being. Instead of the bleach blond hair he’d had in their youth, he’d allowed it to grow back to black. Although he still had a tiny ponytail at the back of his head, the sides were now shaved close. It was the punk style young mobsters seemed to like all around Domino City. His clothes looked new too, and they were all black. It was like he’d been planning on jumping Jonouchi from the shadows.

“Long time, no see,” Hirutani greeted, “You got my letter, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I did,” Jonouchi answered with a frown. He tried to fight back the desire to run, but he couldn’t stop his hands from slightly trembling. “What do you want?”

“Oh, nothing really,” Hirutani laughed, “Can’t an old friend just say hello? We go so far back, Jonouchi. We’re practically family. Don’t tell me you forgot about your brothers?”

“I’ve never forgotten about any of you,” Jonouchi answered honestly, “But we’re not brothers anymore. You know I left that life.”

“Jonouchi, you and I both know it doesn’t work exactly like that.” Hirutani smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not asking you to do much. Just give a little to take care of your family, that’s all. I won’t even raise the price, just do as I ask and we won’t have any trouble. I don’t see any reason why to get anyone else involved.”

“You mean your new prison friends?” Jonouchi questioned.

It was likely that Hirutani was involved in deeper shit now. He’d graduated out of playground gangs from their teen years to actual crime syndicates. Nobody liked to talk about it, but the yakuza was alive and well all over the city. Not like before, when Domino City had been a grimy industrial town, but there were still plenty of them working around the shipyards. Jonouchi’s own father had known some, from working on the docks.

“Like I said Jonouchi, there’s no reason to involve them. Just relax,” Hirutani smiled, and he tried touching Jonouchi again on the shoulders, but Jonouchi stepped back and away. There was no way he was going to fight Hirutani while he was drunk, but he wasn’t going to allow himself to be grabbed at either.

“Just don’t forget who you are,” Hirutani warned, “And don’t forget that I still own you. Be cool, Jonouchi. I’ll see you again soon.”

Grinning, he gave Jonouchi a thumbs up before waving him off, turning around and walking down the sidewalk like nothing had happened.

Jonouchi felt numb. Not quite sick, like he’d imagine he would be, but just cold all over. The panic had subsided but his body still felt unsettled, and whatever nice buzz that had remained from the party was soon gone.

He rushed inside, bypassing the woman at the desk. The security guard looked at him questioningly, but Jonouchi flashed his badge, not wanting to get himself into trouble before he rode the elevator up. Once he’d reached the third floor, he walked along the outdoor balcony before finally reaching his apartment and closing the door behind him after entering.

More than anything, Jonouchi was afraid about having another nightmare if he went to sleep worrying about Hirutani again. Stripping out of his clothes, he brushed his teeth quickly and drank a glass of water before climbing into the sheets. When he closed his eyes, he tried to think about Suzuki. Handsome Suzuki, with the warm brown eyes and easy smile. How his car smelled, earthy like cedar wood, and the harmonic sound of his laugh.

But when Jonouchi’s mind started to wander, he couldn’t keep the illusion up any longer. His mind traveled past his work station and into Kaiba’s office, with the ceiling to floor windows and the grand view of Domino City overlooking the ocean. He could see Kaiba standing there, wearing that stupid white leather jacket of his, the tails dragging on the floor. Kaiba looked like some kind of rock-star, with his broad shoulders and piercing eyes. Jonouchi could imagine himself standing next to him, feeling almost small in comparison.

“I don’t really like you,” Jonouchi told him in his dream. He didn’t know if he was blushing or not but Kaiba looked at him like maybe something was wrong with his face. A grin appeared and it made Jonouchi feel deeply embarrassed and almost... giddy from having Kaiba’s attention. The attention he’d always wanted from him.

“You don’t like me?” Kaiba had laughed, “Keep telling yourself that, loser.”

* * *

Jonouchi knew he was aging when he woke up with a head-splitting migraine. He thankfully couldn’t remember the contents of his dream, and pulling the sheets from his body, he made his way to the bathroom and drank a ton of water before blissfully pissing into his toilet. After taking a quick shower and washing his hair, Jonouchi rushed himself to get dressed, just eating a pre-made salmon onigiri for breakfast before catching the bus for Kaiba Corporation. He tried popping two pain killers for his head, but they barely did anything to make him feel better.

Although he knew he’d get flack for it, Jonouchi didn’t have time to get Kaiba’s standard overpriced coffee at the usual place. He got some coffee at the cafe on the main floor of the building instead before heading up to the top floor.

Suzuki looked fresh as always at his desk. Jonouchi could tell that he wasn’t well by the way he smiled. It appeared less sincere, and everyone groaned when a staff member began turning all the lights on in the main lobby room.

“I hope you got yourself a coffee, Jonouchi,” Suzuki teased as he got up and prepared some papers, “You might need some to get through a day like this.”

“I drank some water,” Jonouchi replied back, “I’m hoping it will cure this killer migraine I’m starting to develop.”

It was like the nerves lying against his skull pulsed in rage each time someone in earshot of him spoke. His eyes burned and his mouth still felt dry. At least his stomach was solid, but Jonouchi told himself to eat lightly just in case he got sick. The last thing he wanted to do was get fired for throwing up on Kaiba’s desk.

When he did go to Kaiba’s office, he found the windows thankfully blocked by shades and Kaiba typing at his desk. Jonouchi set his coffee down in front of him but Kaiba didn’t even bother acknowledging him. His eyes never felt the screen. Even though he paused while drinking what wasn’t exactly the right coffee brand, he didn’t say anything. Jonouchi passed a sigh of relief once he was on the other side of the big double doors.

Asato came by in a rush, and Jonouchi found himself drowning in paperwork. She dumped project after project on him, Jonouchi finding himself unfortunately having to go into Kaiba’s office often to get pages signed before sending them off to other assistants in other departments for processing. He felt dead on his feet, with all the shuffling. The only godsend was the fact that when he did look at Kaiba more carefully, he appeared even more hungover, his blue eyes rimmed red, and he barely spoke up at all.

There was some delight in knowing that Kaiba got drunk alone after the party and was now suffering for it. Jonouchi smiled when he returned to his desk to churn out more papers. He was so gleeful that he missed one assignment that wasn’t ready for Kaiba’s signature, but he prepared it with the rest anyways. After seeing Kaiba’s pitiful appearance in his office, Jonouchi happily gave the work back to Asato before sitting back down at his seat.

Everyone around him looked miserable. Was the whole office just full of alcoholics?

“Jonouchi, did you bother to look at this before giving it to Kaiba-sama?”

Jumping in his seat, Jonouchi looked back behind him as Asato came towards him, slamming a packet of work in front of him before letting out a deep sigh.

“This is unacceptable. You must read everything before sending it to the President. This is missing a signature and will now have to be redone completely.”

“Why can’t it just be sent to whoever else needs to sign it?” questioned Jonouchi, “It can’t be that big of a deal?”

“You don’t understand, there is a process that happens here in Kaiba Corporation, and no step can be skipped. The President can’t sign anything until it has been approved by everyone in the chain! What if Kaiba-sama approved this but his department head down in Engineering found fault with the proposal? Kaiba-sama doesn’t have the time to read every single detail!”

God, he hated being scolded by women. Jonouchi could feel himself shrinking in his chair.

“I didn’t think about that.”

“Well, you need to start thinking today,” Asato warned, “You are being watched by everyone. I can’t protect you if you don’t do your job correctly.” Sighing, she shook her head. “Have the whole entire thing redone. It’s your mistake, so you must fix it. You can’t take your lunch break until it’s done.”

He spent the entire morning retyping the entire thing, having to get help from Suzuki, who appeared annoyed with him. Jonouchi’s eyes felt ready to fall out by the time he printed the damn thing and started hounding people for signatures. Many times he almost got turned away because someone was busy in a meeting or wasn’t where he thought they’d be. Their assistant would find them hiding somewhere else, and always they were annoyed to have to resign the document they’d already completed, Jonouchi getting dirty looks from everyone before finally reaching the correct department head’s office.

The worst part was lunch coming up. Jonouchi had to wait forty-five minutes for the guy to finally come out of his office from a webcam meeting, and then after another half-an-hour of going over the proposal, he made some changes before signing the correct forms.

Once Jonouchi went back to Kaiba’s office, he quickly found himself in hot water when Kaiba realized he’d signed the form before.

“Why am I looking at this again?” he barked, “And where did these changes come from?”

Jonouchi felt tongue-tied, but he tried to spit out a sentence. “I had you sign it before the approval below you saw this. I messed it up.”

“No kidding,” Kaiba snapped, “I thought this proposal was done! Are you just too hungover to function, or do you still need the training wheels on? You’re supposed to be doing your job on your own, Jonouchi. Does Suzuki have to hold your damn hand through everything?”

“It was just one mistake,” Jonouchi tried to argue, but Kaiba rolled his eyes at him and threw the papers at his face.

“Just a mistake?” Kaiba mocked. “You had other things you were supposed to be doing this morning, but everyone had to take on your responsibilities because you were too busy cleaning up your mess this morning. It’s ridiculous, and it better not happen again.”

Kaiba didn’t say another word. It was the end of that discussion as far as Jonouchi was concerned. Leaving the office, he could feel his eyes becoming a little wet before he blinked them, grabbing his coat and wallet from his desk before heading outside to go to lunch.

It was already late. When Jonouchi walked around watching the salary men scoping out restaurants in packs, Jonouchi realized that his fuck up probably costed Kaiba his usual lunch break of going to the gym and eating his bento. His schedule was already tight, and everything had to go along by the minute or else his day was ruined.

“Well fuck him,” Jonouchi mumbled out loud in defiance, “He’s a fucking spoiled asshole.”

The world practically revolved around him. Who cared if he was inconvenienced just one time? However, Jonouchi realized later on as he ate alone at a nearby ramen shop that Suzuki probably had to grab Kaiba’s lunch because of the schedule change. Kaiba wouldn’t have time to find something himself. While Jonouchi didn’t care about Kaiba starving, he did feel guilty for leaving that responsibility once again to fall on Suzuki’s shoulders. His friend was already annoyed with him. Jonouchi couldn’t risk spoiling the only good work relationship he had.

Going back to the office, Jonouchi tried to refocus on his remaining afternoon responsibilities. Suzuki had stopped by and seemed happy again, dropping off a coffee before going to his own office to work. Jonouchi wasn’t that big of a fan of bitter coffee, but he drank it contentedly, just glad that at least one person didn’t hate him.

But the underlying anger would not quiet inside him, and Jonouchi just frowned as he looked over Kaiba’s schedule for the next day. There was a golfing trip that was being planned by Suzuki that Kaiba would be attending so he could meet with some Korean businessmen from overseas, and Jonouchi found himself feeling more and more bitter as he looked over the luxury accommodations before finally his mood took a complete nose drive.

Hirutani be damned, he was so done with this job.

When he went into Kaiba’s office, he found Kaiba working in his gym clothes, although it didn’t appear like he’d worked out yet. He was wearing all black like before, typing into his computer before his eyes finally left the screen and he acknowledged Jonouchi’s presence.

“Any reason for this intrusion?” he asked. “I’m leaving in half an hour, so if someone wants to speak to me, they’ll have to wait until next week unless it’s an emergency.”

“I wanted to speak to you-” Jonouchi began but Kaiba just laughed.

“You have a direct supervisor. If you feel a certain way about something, go speak to her.”

“This doesn’t have to do with her though, this has to do with us,” Jonouchi blurted, and he could feel his face becoming hot as his chest burned. Yeah, he was definitely going to get himself fired. There was no way Kaiba was going to put up with this.

“You hate me, Kaiba. Why do you make me do this terrible job if you hate me? You obviously don’t want me here. You look like shit went up your nose each time I enter the room, but then you make me stay right across from your office and get your damned coffee each day because? Because why?”

“It’s your job,” Kaiba laughed again, “I don’t have to like you for you to do your job.”

“This wasn’t supposed to be my job,” Jonouchi argued, “You did this shit to me out of spite. Mokuba wanted me in California with him. I’m not some office assistant, I’m not cut out for this crap, and you know it. I’m a duelist. I had a contract-”

“-You work for me,” Kaiba challenged, “This is how it works. I make decisions. You follow them. Don’t like it? Find some other large company that will pay you to duel. Especially with your terrible work ethic. You haven’t even tried since you came here.”

“I didn’t agree to do this,” Jonouchi spit out, but Kaiba just rolled his eyes in response.

“I wasn’t going to let my brother make a mistake of hiring a loose cannon like you to represent my company just because Mokuba decided to get sentimental,” Kaiba spat back. “When you learn some damn respect, you can have the job you bargained for. Until then, you’re not suitable to duel under my name. What would it look like to everyone, having an idiot like you going in front of the cameras bad mouthing me and disrespecting Kaiba Corporation? You have no respect for anything. A good breaking in was exactly what you needed, and if you don’t like it, then fucking leave.”

Jonouchi felt very numb by the words. He wasn’t being fired, apparently, but he was being given an ultimatum. He couldn’t give up his goal of becoming a professional duelist because of Kaiba, though. It wasn’t fair.

“You didn’t need to place me so close to you, though,” Jonouchi argued. “What was the reason for that?”

“I can do whatever I want,” Kaiba laughed, “I don’t have to explain my actions to you.”

“So it has nothing to do with that night before?” Jonouchi challenged.

Kaiba’s face grew very dark. Jonouchi bit his lip, his gut taking nose dives before he took a step back and fidgeted with his hands. Getting up from his desk, Kaiba marched over to where Jonouchi was standing, looking straight down into his eyes before sneering.

“If you ever hope to duel at all, you will never bring that up again,” Kaiba threatened. “Blackmail me, and you will not win.”

Jonouchi gaped. He actually felt a bit intimidated by the threat. He wasn’t dumb, he knew Kaiba was not someone to mess with. Between his power and his wealth, there was no way to win against someone like Kaiba in a smear campaign. Jonouchi knew Kaiba had every single advantage and he had none at all.

But even if that wasn’t the case, Jonouchi would never publicly out someone. It wasn’t ever an acceptable thing to do to someone, even to someone he hated.

“I wasn’t threatening you, Kaiba,” Jonouchi reasoned, “I just want to know what’s up with you.”

“Nothing is “up with me”,” Kaiba answered. “You are needed here. That’s all there is to it. And quite frankly, you’re lucky to have a job in my office, considering your criminal background. Most places would have tossed you out after looking at your juvenile record,” Kaiba ranted, '' as well as your past gang affiliations. You might hate me and this place, but I bet you’d hate being unemployed even more.

“Kaiba Corporation isn’t an easy work environment, but it’s rewarding to those who actually put in the effort to work. Everyone has a hard job, but you don’t see Asato or Suzuki gripe and complain like you do. They do more to fix your mistakes than anything you produce yourself, so get out of my office and do your job already.”

Flushed, Jonouchi did as told and got the hell out of there. He wanted to just leave the place altogether and forget about Kaiba and Suzuki and everyone else, but he knew that wouldn’t be possible. His job was the best he’d ever get anywhere, Kaiba was right about that, and with Hirutani on his heels...

He had no choice but to suffer through it. Asato gave Jonouchi a strange and almost concerned look when he sat back down at his desk, but Jonouchi got a hold over his features. He didn’t want to be babied over, and grabbing some paperwork from his inbox, he forced himself to get back to work.

* * *

Saturday afternoon had been... quiet.

Kaiba hated golf outings, but it was an unfortunate necessary activity to participate in if he wanted to make “friends” with the right people. Usually Suzuki was the unfortunate assistant who was stuck working Saturdays with him, to be at hand in case Kaiba needed something, but Jonouchi had taken over that responsibility from becoming the most junior male in Kaiba’s team of assistants. He didn’t like a young woman following him around, lest someone make inappropriate remarks. Kaiba also personally preferred the company of another man his own age to talk to.

He still enjoyed Kurihara’s company, when she’d been in his employment, but Kaiba didn’t like to think that maybe he was putting some kind of strain into her relationship at home. The last thing he wanted was rumors that he was screwing his assistant, especially when, truth be told, he wasn’t even all that attracted to her.

Sometimes he barely felt attracted to Akikio, his actual girlfriend...

Suzuki had been fine company for the most part, but he just wasn’t that interesting. A handsome face but rather dull to talk to. Kaiba noticed that while Suzuki understood dueling, he had no real passion for it. There wasn’t anything for them to discuss, outside of work, and Kaiba was glad to not have him tagging along anymore.

Jonouchi had been acting rather subdued since Kaiba thrashed him the day before. He barely spoke at all, and although he seemed aware enough to keep his face from visibly frowning, Kaiba noticed that his usual chipper attitude had been replaced with one that was unusually serious. He just silently followed Kaiba around, not speaking unless spoken to and sometimes appearing a little spacey when he didn’t think anyone was paying attention to him.

Kaiba noticed. He couldn’t help but notice. Between speaking Korean all day and walking around a sun-beaten golf course all afternoon, Kaiba couldn’t blame Jonouchi for mentally checking out when he wasn’t being addressed. Neither of them wanted to be there, and Kaiba would have rather spent his time in his laboratory than having to make nice with foreign investors.

It came as a relief when the day broke into night, and while Jonouchi didn’t appear pleased about going along with his boss to finish more work, he at least didn’t complain about it. Kaiba sat in the back of the limo with him, working on his iPad as Jonouchi sat silently with a chin in his hand, looking out the window.

“You don’t have to look like I shot your dog just because I’m asking you to work late,” Kaiba snorted as he flipped through files with his index finger. Jonouchi glanced at him but didn’t respond. Maybe he was finally learning the virtues of self-control.

“I wouldn’t have asked you to come if that fiasco last Friday hadn't happened,” Kaiba continued. “Asato agreed that you needed to get back on schedule.”

“I’m not complaining, boss,” Jonouchi replied back. He was clearly trying to keep his tone in check, but Kaiba could tell that he wasn’t happy.

“I know that, but you look like-” Kaiba started, but he decided to stop before they could end up in another argument. Jonouchi wasn’t worth it. If he was going to behave, Kaiba wouldn’t complain about how dead in the eyes he chose to look while doing it. They were no longer in public, and the day had been long.

Jonouchi seemed to know exactly where to go to get to work in Kaiba’s office. He let out the quietest of grumbles when Kaiba dropped a stack of paperwork in front of him.

“Beta reports for the new prototype Duel Disk system,” Kaiba muttered as he looked over the top of Jonouchi’s head. His hair was so light. How did he manage to inherit blond hair? Even the roots were fair colored, it wasn’t a hair job like his girlfriend's was. “Maybe if you read carefully, you’ll find yourself entertained. Good luck with it.”

Jonouchi seemed to accept his fate. He read through the pages silently, and Kaiba tried to stay out of the room, wandering around the apartment several times to take an interest in something else before pouring himself a glass of wine and changing into more comfortable clothes. When he returned to the office, Jonouchi seemed almost at the halfway mark. He looked tired yet determined, his eyes going over the papers more than once before he noted his corrections and continued on with the reading.

Suzuki would have to take a glance at the reports again before they could be finalized, but at least Jonouchi was taking his job seriously.

“I can’t do this if you stare at me,” Jonouchi complained.

“Why, am I making you nervous?” Kaiba inquired. Jonouchi’s face became twisted. He was at least a little bothered by that question. Kaiba ignored the look and moved past it, trying to look over Jonouchi’s shoulder again. It wasn’t good to waste his time and keep Jonouchi later than necessary.

“Show me your progress?” Kaiba demanded.

Jonouchi pulled out the finished pages and handed them over to Kaiba, who began to scrutinize over them but surprisingly, he couldn’t find anything glaringly wrong with them. Maybe all of Suzuki’s training was finally sticking to Jonouchi’s brain. There was hope yet.

“Finish the rest of the pile, and you can leave.”

Just nodding his head in acknowledgement, Jonouchi continued on with his project. Kaiba scoffed in response, taking a sip of his wine and watching for a few more tense minutes. Jonouchi’s shoulders appeared slightly rigid as Kaiba looked over him before he finally took the hint to leave.

Stepping outside to hang around the hallways, Kaiba leaned against the wall and glanced towards his bedroom. It would be a good idea to just finish the glass and go to bed. It was already late, and although he had nothing in particular that he had to do the next day since it was his “break”, Kaiba knew he needed to recharge his batteries at some point. He didn’t sleep much, and Mokuba wasn’t around anymore to drag him to bed.

But as long as someone was in his intimate space, there was no way he’d be able to relax enough to fall asleep. Not if he couldn’t see exactly what Jonouchi was doing in his apartment.

Leaving the hallway, Kaiba went into his bedroom, sitting on the edge of the mattress as he swallowed the rest of his wine. He never brought people around. Not even his girlfriend. Akikio would have him over sometimes but he didn’t make it a habit of sharing her bed if he could help it. There was a box of unopened condoms and lubricant in his nightstand, just in case he ever changed his mind, but Kaiba found that unlikely. He could barely stand Akikio, and he never allowed her into his private space...

He should not be thinking about sex at that moment.

He needed to get out of his bedroom…

Walking back into the hallway, Kaiba paced around a few times before going back down to the kitchen, grabbing the bottle of wine and another glass before returning back into the office and placing the glass in front of Jonouchi’s paperwork. Jonouchi looked up at him in surprise, nearly slipping his pen across the paper he was working on. Kaiba pretended that he hadn’t noticed.

“You drink, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Jonouchi answered, his voice sounding rather cautious, “But not while I’m working. I can’t concentrate while buzzed.”

“Then stop working.” Kaiba poured the glass and took a seat at a far couch, grabbing a slim box from underneath. He had his own glass refilled and after taking a long sip, Kaiba took the top off the box and tossed it, relieving a chess set. Jonouchi was looking over with curiosity, and he appeared intrigued enough to get up from his chair and take a seat on the ground in front of the coffee table, sitting cross legged.

“I don’t know how to play chess,” Jonouchi mumbled, “I’m not going to be much of a challenge if you’re looking to play against me.”

“I’m not expecting much,” Kaiba snorted, “Just some entertainment. The game isn’t too unlike Duel Monsters.”

“If you say so,” Jonouchi sighed.

Kaiba tried to explain the rules as slowly as he could without insulting Jonouchi’s intelligence. His face twisted again slightly as Kaiba went through the rules, and Kaiba could tell that he lost him a few times while explaining certain movements of the chess pieces, but he at least understood the concept enough to bark back the right answers when Kaiba tried to quiz him on them.

“Why are you making me do this?” Jonouchi asked. “Am I still going to get paid for this?”

“Yes,” Kaiba answered tersely. “Mokuba isn’t here to play, so you’ll just have to make a passable replacement. Make your move.”

Jonouchi played terribly, as expected. Kaiba found himself beating him in just four or five turns, and while it wasn’t a great intellectual exercise like beating his brother could be, it at least amused him. Jonouchi’s ears turned as red as a beet whenever Kaiba knocked his king to the ground, and he seemed unnerved by Kaiba’s movements, although he wasn’t able to predict them.

“If you didn’t rush through the game, you might manage to last longer, Jonouchi,” Kaiba gloated after he’d lost four times. “How do you even manage Duel Monsters?”

“They aren’t the same game,” Jonouchi grumbled. “Do I have to play another round?”

“Yes.”

Kaiba smirked as Jonouchi’s face lit up with what appeared to be determination. He lasted longer this time, managing eight moves before Kaiba dethroned him. Then again and again, he became able to last longer, and for a moment Kaiba actually found himself thinking through his moves, trying to predict Jonouchi’s maneuvers but then he found Jonouchi’s weakness and exploited it, winning the round once again.

“You play like an impatient child,” Kaiba snarked, and Jonouchi shoved the board away from him before crossing his arms in anger.

“I’m going home now, Kaiba.”

“Don’t be a sore loser,” Kaiba argued, and he adjusted the board before looking back at Jonouchi with a more steady glare. “Again.”

“No, I’m done.”

“I’m your boss,” Kaiba challenged, “Play the damn game.”

Jonouchi gaped and Kaiba thought he’d won the argument but then Jonouchi got on his feet quickly and kicked the board up in the air, tossing pieces all over before the damn cardboard collided with Kaiba’s face.

“I didn’t mean to-” Jonouchi’s voice began, but Kaiba cut him off. He could feel his entire face on fire. His blood felt hot, and he could see Jonouchi’s anxious facial expression in sight and nothing else, like he had tunnel vision.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he bellowed. “I have half a mind to fire you on the spot!”

“You’re not going to do it,” Jonouchi argued, “So why the fuck should I care? Your threats don’t mean much to me, Kaiba. You enjoy insulting me too much to bother tossing me out.”

“You want to bet?” Kaiba challenged. He got up and crossed the room, shoulder checking Jonouchi before grabbing the door handle and making it a point to show the way out. Jonouchi stared at him, his eyes wide as he looked back from the hallway to Kaiba’s face. He didn’t appear at all settled about leaving, and he even looked back at the pile of paperwork on Kaiba’s desk before finally huffing, adjusting his jacket before walking out.

Kaiba snorted and slammed the door shut behind them both. Jonouchi wouldn’t look at him as he walked away, and Kaiba turned to head to his own bedroom before laughing.

“I told Mokuba some two-bit, hapless street mongrel like you wouldn’t last,” he added, and Kaiba felt good again, his pride self-assured before he felt something like a brick wall colliding into him. Jonouchi’s arm reached over and forced his neck into a choke hold by surprise.

“You can take that shit back, Kaiba,” Jonouchi spat out, “You’re a spoiled piece of shit!”

The move took him completely off guard, but Kaiba wasn’t an amateur when it came to brawling. He let his instincts take over, and twisting his body towards Jonouchi, he struck Jonouchi in the gut with his elbow before grabbing Jonouchi in the face and pulling his head out from under his arm. He was snickering before pain erupted in his forefinger, and Kaiba realized he’d been bitten.

“What the fuck!”

Jonouchi had actually drawn blood. This was insane, he needed to get him out now. Kaiba made a step towards Jonouchi, but he wasn’t dumb; he’d grabbed Kaiba around the middle, pushing back and planting his feet into the ground until Kaiba found himself pinned against a wall. He threw his weight back, but without punching Jonouchi and actually causing him some real harm, he wasn’t going to be getting free anytime soon. They were just as strong as the other, and Jonouchi seemed content to just shove him into the wall, not making any effort to do more than that.

Kaiba tried grabbing him around the waist, but Jonouchi just put more power behind his grip. He wasn’t letting up, and Kaiba couldn’t pick him up. Unless one of them decided to finally just strike the other, they were going to be stuck at an impasse.

“What exactly are you trying to prove?” Kaiba taunted. “You’re done. You were never going to make it professionally. You couldn’t hack it.”

“You set me up to fail,” Jonouchi screamed back at him, “You were gunning for me to fuck up since you found out about Mokuba’s plan. You always want to see me lose. No matter what I do, that’s all that you care about. That, and proving to everyone that you’re superior, but you and I both know you’re just a bitter little boy who can’t get over his daddy issues.”

“You don’t know anything about me, asshole,” Kaiba snarled.

He wanted to punch him, to ground him to the floor, but that wouldn’t fix anything. If he got himself into a real fight, what would happen? He was trained, but he also knew that Jonouchi was an experienced street fighter. He’d cheat to win. Kaiba did not want to find out the outcome of them duking it out after he’d already been drinking.

“Oh, like you are so fucking mysterious that no one has you figured out,” Jonouchi yelled back. “Everyone who has had the displeasure of being near you can see what a lonely ass fucking prick you are! You don’t give a shit about anyone but yourself. Fuck, even Mokuba’s gotten tired of all your shit. He had everything figured out while you were gone. Nobody needs you anymore. You were better off gone.”

“You’re just saying that because I’m done with you,” Kaiba continued, “You don’t know anything about Mokuba or Kaiba Corporation, or anything that has to do with me. You have no idea what I had to do to get to where I am today. Kaiba Corporation wouldn’t be anything without me.”

“Mokuba doesn’t need you,” Jonouchi continued to mock, and he finally let Kaiba go before taking a step back and laughing, “He probably doesn’t even want you around anymore. And why would he? You left him.”

“I had no choice.”

What was he supposed to do, just give up on everything? Jonouchi didn’t know anything about sacrifice. He didn’t have any kind of real purpose in his life, or great goal he was striving for. Kaiba had to go back. He’d made a promise to himself to fight Atem again, to challenge his greatest rival, to try one last time to make it back on the top-

“You might call me a dog,” Jonouchi laughed, “But I’m not the one chasing after the heels of a dead man.”

Kaiba grabbed Jonouchi by the collar and had him up against the wall so fast, he almost felt disassociated from his body. He couldn’t even feel the weight of Jonouchi’s frame as his arms held him off the ground, but he did hear the voice of someone telling him to let go. There were hands on his shirt, and the seams were ripping. When he let Jonouchi down, he immediately tried to take a step back, but Jonouchi wasn’t letting up. His hazel eyes were alight.

Kaiba tried pulling away from him. His inner voice warned him of the possibility that Jonouchi might throw a fist at his face as he tried getting himself loose, but Jonouchi just yanked him closer until their faces were just centimetres away, and suddenly Kaiba realized Jonouchi was kissing him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished my last semester of school, sorry for the pause.

Jonouchi only started to realize what was happening when he was pushed into a strange room, his back legs hitting against a mattress while Kaiba shut the door. He was covered in darkness, the Domino City Skyline shining through the windows of the bedroom, but Jonouchi didn’t have much time to notice that before Kaiba was back on him, Jonouchi feeling himself falling into the bed.

He had his eyes closed most of the time. If he couldn’t see anything, he didn’t have to think about what they were doing. Although he felt in control, his mind was just a little hazy from drinking a glass of wine earlier. Jonouchi didn’t want to think too hard about anything while he felt Kaiba free him of his jacket, his hands tracing over his button up shirt.

They hadn’t said much since Jonouchi set Kaiba off, but it didn’t seem like it was necessary to. Jonouchi readjusted himself on the bed, sitting up on his knees before taking off his dress shirt and throwing the under layer off from over his head. Kaiba was still wearing his under armor but Jonouchi hardly minded. When he touched his chest, he could still feel his erect nipples against his hands, Kaiba’s muscles firm and larger than he would have imagined. He looked bigger now compared to how he used to look back at the beginning of high school...

Kaiba was a strong kisser, too. His technique wasn’t soft, but Jonouchi liked that. He liked the hardness that came from being kissed by another man. Nothing Kaiba did was very tender, and he felt a hand cling to his hip, Kaiba leaning forward over him before biting on his lip. His hand yanked down on Jonouchi’s pants before Jonouchi pulled away and grabbed Kaiba’s hand.

“Are we going to do this?” Jonouchi asked. He could feel his heart pumping, his whole body tense as he waited for Kaiba’s reply. This wasn’t something he’d ever done before, but he wasn’t against it. He’d thought about it often, from time to time, and he wasn’t any virgin, either.

“Is this what you want?” Kaiba asked.

His eyes were dark in the shadows of his bedroom. Jonouchi almost wanted to look away, but the color was so brilliant, he couldn’t stop himself from staring back. Kaiba always had beautiful eyes. He was a lucky bastard, in that regard.

“If you’re asking if I want you to fuck me, then yes,” Jonouchi blurted out. “I’m not going to be coy about it. But let’s make it an agreement now that after tonight, we don’t discuss this ever again.”

“Why would I ever want to bring it up?” Kaiba reasoned, “I’m not sentimental.”

Jonouchi smirked. “I didn’t think so.”

That was reassuring, that at least this bad decision wouldn’t be brought up again. Besides, Jonouchi was done at Kaiba Corporation. They had no reason to see each other again after tonight. There would be nothing else to keep them bonded to each other after the morning arrived.

Jonouchi didn’t resist Kaiba pulling his pants down, the material tight until Jonouchi unzipped the front. It still clung slightly, but he managed to get it past his ass, and Kaiba took care of the rest. It wasn’t long before Jonouchi realized that he was nearly completely naked, and he shut his eyes before laying down on the bed, his head resting against a pillow while Kaiba turned away from him and began digging around in his side table.

“What are you doing?” Jonouchi asked. His nerves were eating at him. Kaiba’s gaze was so concentrated, not unlike how he appeared while he was playing a game. Jonouchi bit his lip as he waited for an answer.

“Getting lubricant, you dummy,” Kaiba replied back, “Don’t tell me you’ve never done this before?”

“I was just making sure,” Jonouchi remarked. He could feel his eyebrows furrowing as Kaiba pulled out the objects in question. Did this mean Kaiba brought people around often? He was too afraid to ask. Jonouchi did not want to know the answer to that.

Kaiba kissed him again though before it could hang in his thoughts for too long. Jonouchi placed both of his hands on his shoulders, trying to touch Kaiba’s soft brown hair. He liked the way it felt, and when his hands found a place on Kaiba’s shoulder blades, Jonouchi could feel himself becoming more aroused each time the muscles shifted underneath him. As a teen, he’d watched plenty of porn, so he knew what it probably looked like from the sidelines, but god, Jonouchi would have given anything to see this happening to him now.

His boner was pressing unpleasantly against his groin, and Jonouchi flipped to his stomach, yanking his boxers down until he was free enough to lie against the covers of the bed. Taking a pillow from nearby, he settled it up against his groin before adjusting himself to the new angle. He closed his eyes when he heard the cap to the lubricant open and stroked himself before taking slow breaths from his mouth, anticipating the pressure of Kaiba’s fingers.

He hated himself a little bit for all of this. The lubricant was not only slick, but it felt cold on Kaiba’s finger on first entry. His muscles immediately clenched, and he could hear Kaiba chuckling behind him from amusement before Jonouchi huffed into a pillow. It was so damn undignifying. He wished there was a better way to do this, a way that didn’t somehow lead to him making a literal ass of himself. Although his chest was laying flat on the bed, Jonouchi was just slightly balancing on his knees while the pillow kept him slightly lifted. He also noticed when Kaiba took a steady grasp of his waist, his fingers ghosting over the bottom of his rib cage. It was almost reassuring, and Jonouchi sighed when his body relaxed, and he finally felt a tinge of pleasure ride up his spine.

It wasn’t until he was a young adult that Jonouchi realize that he liked fingering himself. He was too ashamed to go out and buy a toy, but he wasn’t so closeted that he hadn’t pleasured himself while thinking of other men doing it. The tabooness of the entire thing only made it more enjoyable. He could imagine what his father would have thought of that, and it only made Jonouchi want to do it more. While he was young, he was too traumatized to ever consider such a thing as enjoyable, but once he’d grown up, he hardly cared anymore. He liked what he liked, and he’d mostly moved past his trauma with the gang.

Kaiba was almost clumsy at first, but he seemed to get a technique going once his reservations had been put aside. Jonouchi just pushed back into him when the pressure wasn’t enough, and once his point had gotten across, Kaiba held onto him with a grip as if to keep him still. It was almost as if he was experimenting, and when Jonouchi finally lifted his head to look behind him, he saw Kaiba release him.

He took off his shirt before stripping out of his pants. Jonouchi was still masturbating with one hand as he watched, his strokes slow and steady while he took deep breaths. He wanted this to last. If sex with Kaiba was going to be a mistake, he wanted it to be a really good mistake.

When Kaiba slipped off his briefs, he was pleased to see that they were equally aroused, although it pained him to realize that Kaiba was bigger than him (although not by much). His erection stood perfectly straight, prim and proper just like Kaiba himself, and Jonouchi turned his head to laugh into a pillow before sighing deeply.

When Kaiba leaned down against him, Jonouchi could feel his anxiety begin to creep upon him just slightly. The hard dick he’d just enjoyed looking at moments before was now sliding up against his ass, and Kaiba’s breathes were unbearably hot against his face. Jonouchi tried moving away but Kaiba only ended up nipping his ear, tugging on the lobe with his teeth before biting at his neck.

“Aren’t you going to use a condom?” Jonouchi complained.

“Yes,” Kaiba answered back flatly, “After I’m done enjoying myself.”

Jonouchi wanted to yell at him or something, just because he could barely stand it, but then Kaiba finally pulled away. When Jonouchi looked back, he could see him finally putting on the condom.

“Don’t fuck this up,” Jonouchi warned, “I’m gonna laugh if someone as high and mighty as you ends up being a shitty lay.”

“Speak for yourself,” Kaiba answered back, and he slapped Jonouchi’s ass just hard enough that Jonouchi’s jaw dropped from shock, his ears burning before looking away as Kaiba continued, “I don’t “fuck up” anything I do, which now includes you.”

Jonouchi grunted before closing his eyes. He got too distracted to continue stroking his dick, and when Kaiba laid down against him, he only opened them enough to see one hand steadying itself against the mattress of the bed, and he felt Kaiba’s other hand position his legs wider before grasping onto his hip. A deep cry released out of Jonouchi’s throat when he suddenly felt himself become filled up from inside, despite Kaiba being slow and measured upon entering. It didn’t matter that Jonouchi had been prepped; Kaiba felt rigid and overwhelming. Jonouchi squirmed as his heart pounded harder, his legs beginning to tremble. Kaiba’s breathing were audible, the sounds almost labored and when the pace began to quicken, Jonouchi gripped the pillowcase underneath him with his teeth.

Anal sex felt incredible to him. He moaned each time he felt himself entered into, Jonouchi’s body almost shuddering when he felt pleasure pass through him, like waves crashing against a beach. Even with a condom on, it made him feel raw and exposed. Jonouchi was glad they weren’t facing each other. He still didn’t like Kaiba, and the last thing he wanted to see was his piercingly beautiful eyes gazing down at him while he fucked him. That was something Jonouchi would prefer to think about with his eyes closed, and he’d successfully beat off to those thoughts before half crying and half groaning into the pillow that had him muffled during his orgasm.

He felt out of breath and dazed, but Kaiba wasn’t finished yet. His grip was tight enough that Jonouchi was afraid he’d get bruised, and he still gasped in time with Kaiba’s thrusts from sheer pressure alone until they became extremely erratic. Jonouchi felt himself get shoved in the bed hard before Kaiba finally seemed to have orgasmed inside of him.

The condom stopped Jonouchi from having to feel ejaculate, but it didn’t mute Kaiba’s moans from echoing in his ears. His hot breath was teasing on Jonouchi’s face, and Jonouchi squirmed from the intensity of it while Kaiba rocked into him a few times. The thrusts were much gentler before Kaiba pulled away entirely from him.

What he hadn’t expected was to feel Kaiba’s hands on him afterwards. At first it was just a finger trailing down his back, the pad touching between Jonouchi’s shoulder blades until it slid down to the moist dip of Jonouchi’s tailbone. But then Kaiba touched his sore neck before stroking his hair, fingers sweeping through sweaty locks. Jonouchi found that way too intimate a gesture, the sensations making his stomach flip more than once.

It ended as soon as Jonouchi turned to look at him. Kaiba got up and disappeared into the bathroom. He returned shortly afterwards, pulling the sheets back before speaking.

“I was lashing out from anger earlier, I’m not going to fire you,” Kaiba spoke evenly. Jonouchi could tell that he was trying to control the tone of his voice from the way he deliberately spoke out each word, “But our deal from before is still the same. We don’t speak about this, ever, and tonight doesn’t change anything. You won’t be getting any special treatment come Monday.”

As if Jonouchi honestly expected anything different.

“You can stay until tomorrow morning,” Kaiba mumbled. “But after that, go home.”

He almost wanted to just leave at that moment out of spite, but Jonouchi felt way too tired to get up. His backside felt funny enough that he thought it would be best to just sleep it off. Not that he was in any pain, but he felt worn out, and he didn’t want to be crossing the lobby walking funny lest anyone get any ideas. He didn’t think he could manage it well without getting a few looks. Besides, his entire body felt boneless.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jonouchi answered back sourly as he tried to adjust to his side of the ridiculously large bed, “I’ll be out of your hair long before sun rise.”

* * *

The room was still dark when Jonouchi’s eyes opened. Looking up from across the bed, he saw the time and felt instantly relieved to see that it wasn’t even quite seven in the morning yet. He dropped his head down low, enjoying the warmth of the covers before glancing at Kaiba, who laid motionless next to him.

Although they weren’t facing each other, it seemed like Kaiba had slid up next to him during the middle of the night; they were sleeping back to back. Jonouchi wasn’t sure how to feel about that. When he moved his hips away from Kaiba, he could feel just how tender he was. His anus was still sore from their late night hook up, although it wasn’t painful. Just a slight dull ache. He was able to easily pick himself up and out of the bed without waking Kaiba, Sitting at the edge of the bed, Jonouchi quickly picked up his scattered clothes before working to get his underwear and pants back on.

Kaiba still hadn’t moved. Jonouchi sighed deeply, relief settling over him. As long as he was asleep, things would be okay. He wasn’t ready to speak to Kaiba yet, even if the sex had been just for physical satisfaction. His mind still foggy, Jonouchi wasn’t quite sure what he’d even say to him.

‘Thanks for the fuck, see you on Monday.’

Nothing Jonouchi thought up seemed very appropriate.

And it was doubtful that Kaiba would say anything remotely civil to him now that the moment was over, so why risk hanging around?

He gathered up his things, taking a quick moment to fix his hair, and then left. Although he was sure there were security cameras all over, Jonouchi didn’t take the main elevator, walking several flights of stairs down before reaching the main floor and leaving through the back exit. He didn’t want to see the looks of the people who managed the front desk (as if they’d know which room he’d come out of) and feeling as raw as he still did, Jonouchi knew he wouldn’t be able to play shit off like he’d just gotten drunk at someone’s apartment and decided to crash. He still felt very embarrassed.

Embarrassed and insecure.

It felt better once he was outside, and the morning breeze caressed his face in greeting. The sun was just starting to rise over the tops of the many buildings surrounding him and Jonouchi liked how the streets were still silent. Everything seemed still, considering it was a Sunday morning when no one would be rushing to get to work. Jonouchi took in a deep inhale of air, just barely making out the scent of salt from the ocean before he checked his phone to find the nearest subway station.

The trip only took three stops before he was two blocks away from his apartment. Walking through the neighborhood, Jonouchi felt his stomach rumble almost violently before his eyes landed on a small Yoshuku-style cafe. Well shoot, he was going to die if he didn’t eat something soon, so Jonouchi took a detour and walked inside, the doors sliding open just as a waitress greeted him.

The place had a Meiji restoration kind of look, with dark wood panel booths, big ferns plants and well-dressed staff who wore neat white and black restaurant uniforms. If Jonouchi hadn’t been wearing his work clothes, he would have felt out of place. The napkins were cloth, and the table was draped, and he wondered almost without thinking if Kaiba frequented places like this. Upscale places.

“You must be very hungry if you are up this early,” greeted the server, and Jonouchi smiled as the woman handed him a menu. She had one of the sincerest smiles he’d ever seen, and her ponytail was perfectly placed on the back of her head, bangs falling over her eyes. “You must have a very important job. Only important people work so late on Saturday nights.”

“I wish I was,” Jonouchi replied in humor, and he remembered the paperwork that still sat on Kaiba’s desk. Waiting for him. “I was up late because of my boss... What’s the best thing on the menu?”

“Well, our western-style breakfast entrees are all very good, and you should definitely try the Caffe Americano,” the waitress suggested. “But, if you are looking for the very best thing, I suggest the ayashi rice.” She pointed to the dish on the menu before smiling again. “It’s my favorite thing here, and it’ll keep you filled until dinner.”

“That sounds great,” Jonouchi agreed. “Do you mind turning that into an omuhayashi? I’d really like to eat some eggs this morning.”

“No problem, I’ll get some coffee for you while you wait.”

He sat alone once the waitress disappeared. Another businessman came in sometime after, taking a table by himself before checking his phone, and Jonouchi watched him silently for a few moments before turning his attention back to his thoughts.

Jonouchi hadn’t been bothered by his sexuality in a long time, but it did bother him that he’d be having to see Kaiba again in such close proximity. Since he apparently decided to grace him with his job back, Jonouchi had no choice but to accept the offer. He couldn’t afford to be unemployed. Although his friends would always help him in a bind, Jonouchi wanted to take care of himself, and if he had to tell Yugi that Kaiba had fired him...

He wouldn’t be able to live down the shame of something like that.

Jonouchi would have to just swallow his pride and keep his head low, until he could leave for California. If he did his job, Kaiba would have no reason to talk to him. It wasn’t like he tried to hold personal conversations with his employees. Maybe the hazing would cease on Kaiba’s end because of the sex. If that was the only change to occur from them being intimate together, Jonouchi would feel grateful. He didn’t want to keep fighting him anymore.

When he’d been taunting Kaiba to his face, Jonouchi realized he hadn’t even been thinking too clearly about what he was saying. If he had, he would have stopped himself from going so far with it. It was all just residue pain he was tapping into that night. The pain of trying to be as good as someone who would never recognize him. Someone who constantly ignored him, unless Kaiba was belittling him. Jonouchi hated just how obsessive Kaiba was about fighting Atem or Yugi, but anything that had to do with him and their rivalry was just a damn joke in comparison.

It might not have meant much to Kaiba, but it meant everything to Jonouchi. Besides the desire to help his friends, Kaiba had been his greatest source of inspiration to improve as a duelist. The one person he wanted to measure up against, to be seen as equals by.

Although it was unlikely to happen, Jonouchi didn’t stop dreaming. All he had were his dreams.

He ate silently when his food arrived. The beef was tender with a generous helping of succulent button mushrooms and onions tossed in, the thick demi-glace sauce steaming its rich beefy aroma all around him. Jonouchi’s omelet over rice more than satisfying, too. It was a huge portion of food, but he felt absolutely starved, and he ate and ate, taking sips from his coffee until the entire plate was polished.

It bothered him how sour his mood was after leaving Kaiba’s apartment. Wasn’t breaking the sexual tension between them supposed to fix things? All it did was leave Jonouchi feeling empty, and after he paid his bill, he continued to walk home.

* * *

Around mid-morning, Jonouchi’s phone began to blow up, and he was immediately apprehensive about answering it, his senses dulled from sleep, when he heard Honda’s voice on the other line.

“Dude, why did it take you so long to pick up?” Honda complained. He sounded annoyed, which wasn’t surprising. He was always like that. “We haven’t hung out in a while. Let’s go out tonight.”

“I can’t, Honda, I have work in the morning,” Jonouchi answered. Hanging out with Honda meant going to bars and watching him fail to pick up women. Jonouchi didn’t want to watch that sorry scene. The only way he got through one of those excursions was from drinking and letting the alcohol humor him the entire night. Jonouchi did not want to be depressed and hungover while trying to deal with his conflicted post-hook up feelings.

“That’s never stopped you before,” Honda reasoned. “You’ve stayed up and partied with me plenty of times.”

“It’s different now,” Jonouchi argued, “My job isn’t some mechanic shop where nobody cares if I’m fucked up all the time. Besides, Otogi would love trying to score chicks with you, so you should ask him.”

“Otogi’s a prick,” Honda continued to complain, “He makes a terrible wing-man.”

“Why, because he goes after all the girls that you want?” Jonouchi laughed at Honda’s expense. He’d seen that situation play out many times before. “Just be confident and go out yourself. You don’t need me to help you.”

“You never did help anyway,” Honda snipped, “You’re just as bad as Otogi.”

Jonouchi sniffed. Well, that was true. He’d stolen several of Honda’s conquests from time to time, when he was still content with sleeping around with just women. It was funny to watch him get so bent out of shape over it, and Jonouchi often bragged about it for days afterwards just to keep Honda rattled.

But now that just didn’t sound appealing to him. It wasn’t as if the sex was suddenly less satisfying for him, but he barely saw any women lately that interested him. Maybe he was going through a phase. It wasn’t the first time he’d changed preferences. He was always going hot and cold when it came to who he was attracted to.

“Even more of a reason for me to stay home,” Jonouchi reasoned. “Besides, I actually have things to do today.”

“Since when?” Honda joked. “You're a bum, you rarely do anything besides eat and sleep.”

“I’m a grown adult, you know,” Jonouchi spat into the phone, and he felt embarrassed when he heard Honda just laugh on the other end. “I might go practice dueling today at KaibaLand or something. I don’t know. I might just sleep in; I just ate a huge breakfast today.”

“That doesn’t sound very productive,” Honda teased. “But you suit yourself, Jonouchi. Give me a call if you ever change your mind.”

“I will.”

The phone call ended and Jonouchi collapsed on the top of his bed, closing his eyes shut. He’d almost been afraid that Kaiba had called him. What a dumb thing to think, as if the asshole would care. It wasn’t likely that he was thinking about them anymore, and Jonouchi flipped onto his stomach before grabbing a pillow and laying his chin underneath it. He needed to do something to distract himself.

Maybe after a nap, he would go play some Duel Monsters. But not at KaibaLand, lest he run into Kaiba himself. That was the last thing he wanted now.

Yugi would probably be available at the Kame Game Shop. That sounded like a much better alternative.


	8. Chapter 8

Being kissed was the last thing Kaiba had expected Jonouchi to do while they were having a fight. He thought they were moments away from actually trading blows, but instead Jonouchi had snatched onto the collar of his under-armor shirt and jerked him forward. It was enough that it caught Kaiba entirely off guard. It was then when Jonouchi managed to kiss him. It wasn’t a shy or particularly tender kiss, either. Jonouchi had a grip like iron and Kaiba wouldn’t have been able to escape it even if he wanted to.

When Jonouchi finally broke away, Kaiba felt breathless. His lips tingled, and he just stared at Jonouchi for a good few seconds as he tried to form words.

“I uh-,” Jonouchi began, “I didn’t mean to say half of those things I said-”

“-just shut up,” Kaiba snapped back.

He touched his mouth. The bottom lip felt swollen.

Then turning back his attention to Jonouchi, Kaiba felt himself become very conflicted. He wanted Jonouchi out of his apartment building and out of his life, but he could feel something spark inside of him that was stirring in ways he hadn’t felt in a long time. Maybe it was the fight. Kaiba knew he was attracted to confrontation, and Jonouchi was always willing to supply one...

What was Jonouchi even doing? Hadn’t he already rejected him before? Kaiba certainly wasn’t drunk now, and he had complete control over his faculties as he watched Jonouchi stare back at him defiantly. Taking a step forward, he stared down into the other’s eyes as Jonouchi just smirked up at him.

“Don’t look so shocked, Kaiba,” Jonouchi declared. “You wanted this before.”

Kaiba crossed his arms, snorting. “You kissed me.”

“And you placed me in that damn office for hours because you wanted to fuck me,” Jonouchi pointed out. His face was growing red, either from embarrassment or anger. “That might not have been your ultimate plan, but I’m not as dumb as you seem to think I am. You’ve been leering at me at every chance since I started working for you.”

“As if you haven’t been doing the same thing back,” Kaiba pointed out immediately, and he took another step forward into Jonouchi’s personal bubble. “This isn’t some one-sided attraction.”

“I’d feel better about myself if you thought it still was,” Jonouchi answered.

His voice wasn’t so defiant anymore. It was like he was almost nervous. They were standing toe to toe at this point, and Jonouchi had to tilt his chin up to maintain eye contact with him. They looked like polished tiger’s eye. It was as if all the passion Jonouchi felt was trapped in his irises, reflecting back at Kaiba like some brilliant fire storm.

Kaiba felt when Jonouchi grasped his right shoulder, but he didn’t look away from his eyes while he did it. They both had an idea of what was happening, and while Kaiba’s better sense was screaming at him to break things off quick and get Jonouchi out of his apartment, Kaiba’s much stronger sense of curiosity kept him planted where he stood. He hadn’t thought about Jonouchi in any kind of specific context while they were teenagers, but Kaiba could admit to himself that he thought about him a lot more now since Jonouchi started working for him. More than he had any good reason to. It bothered him deeply, and maybe the sooner he fed that aching he felt in his chest, the sooner he’d be free of it.

Then Jonouchi’s fingers were in his hair, grasping onto the nape of his neck before pulling Kaiba forward again. Closing his eyes, Kaiba tried not to think too hard about what was happening around him as Jonouchi kissed him again. Who really cared if Jonouchi was an idiot he could barely stand, when he could make him feel something intensely exciting for once? Kaiba felt alive. This was a situation he couldn’t predict the end to for once. This was something new and exhilarating.

A challenge.

He grabbed Jonouchi by the waist and pushed him into the wall, grabbing the side of his face with his other hand before crushing his mouth into Jonouchi’s lips. While hearing a gasp of surprise, Kaiba used his thumb to guide Jonouchi’s mouth open, grabbing his bottom lip before pulling it slightly with his teeth. For once, Jonouchi seemed too stunned to react back. Kaiba used his advantage to take the lead, deepening the contact until he felt both of Jonouchi’s arms around his neck, pushing him closer by the collar until Kaiba using his hands to lift him up.

The flavor of wine was evident on Jonouchi’s lips each time Kaiba flickered his tongue. He liked the taste. It was peppery, with a spicy sort of undertone that gave away the Shiraz they had been sharing. Kaiba preferred the taste of it in Jonouchi’s mouth to drinking it out of a glass; it was much more subtle flavor. An experience Kaiba didn’t have to enjoy alone.

Jonouchi’s breathing was becoming noticeably labored as they continued to revel in each other’s touch. His legs parted, and he was using his thighs to grip onto Kaiba’s waist, Jonouchi’s ankles locked in a tight grip. With Jonouchi leaning into his chest, Kaiba could feel his growing erection pressing through the fabric of his suit trousers. It was surprisingly stirring and strangely erotic. It didn’t do anything to suppress his thirst.

Neither one of them appeared to want to stop. If Jonouchi was willing, Kaiba wanted to take things all the way.

He wanted to see their flirtation to its completion.

* * *

Kaiba woke up alone. He only felt a bundle of blankets behind his back, and turning his head around, he found Jonouchi already gone and cleared out. His clothes were neatly stacked on top of his dresser, and besides the soiled pillow Jonouchi had been lying against, it was like he’d never been in the room at all. His scent was still lingering on the sheets, but not much else left a hint of Jonouchi having stayed the night before.

Feeling drained, Kaiba was glad that he had no plans that Sunday morning besides going back to Kaiba Corporation to tinker with personal projects. There was a lot more going on with his creative exploits than just a brand-new duel disk. He was always working on something. It kept his mind engaged, focused and entertained. Kaiba was much too busy to really consider the lingering feeling of loneliness that crept up from time to time...

Compartmentalizing the events of the night before far back in his mind, Kaiba got up and took a shower before getting dressed. He wore the usual black ensemble he preferred when not dressing up; slacks and a dress shirt. When he finished, he drove himself downtown before parking in his CEO spot in the parking garage. There was nobody else hanging around the executive floor. Kaiba found it almost eerily quiet. With nobody to get his coffee or breakfast, Kaiba fasted until lunch time finally arrived.

The Kaiba Corporation cafe was always closed on Sundays, so he had to venture out solo. There was a sushi spot not too far away from the building, and once found, Kaiba found himself sitting alone in a booth, snatching small plates off a conveyor belt. He’d used the order monitor to avoid having to socialize with anyone.

If only all restaurants operated with that kind of appreciation for privacy, Kaiba pondered.

The only time a server came was to deliver his drink and ask if he wanted something special off the menu. Once that interaction was over, Kaiba watched the gathering lunch crowd with mild interest.

There were so many couples around. Some were attractive, but most looked rather plain or just altogether unappealing. A few families arrived with children, and at least a handful of customers seemed to have noticed him in passing but thankfully minded their manners enough not to approach him.

Kaiba smoothly took his cell out of his pocket. It was easier to avoid being approached by a fan when he appeared to be busy on his phone.

One couple appeared from almost across him. A reasonably handsome dark-haired man with a hot bottle-blond girlfriend. If it weren’t for the department-store quality clothes, Kaiba would have easily mistaken her for his girlfriend at a glance.

The girlfriend he’d nearly forgotten about. And could barely stand.

She was smiling and making a general fuss over the man she was dining with. They both seemed so into each other, holding hands and speaking in sing-song voices. They shared a parfait with each other, and Kaiba found it sickeningly sweet to watch, it was so synthetic. It made him want to change seats. He could barely stand to see them feeding each other from the corner of his vision.

Kaiba could certainly understand the necessity of having a regular sex partner... Someone to spend time with for the sake of necessary social interaction, but Kaiba did not get why they needed to make such a damn spectacle out of their relationship. Whenever he was with Akiko, he didn’t hold her hand or share dessert with her. It seemed all so unnecessary, like the couple was putting on a show to make the people around them believe in them as much as they did. It was crass.

When he returned to Kaiba Corporation, Kaiba found his mood mostly improved. He went down into the basement level, where his personal laboratory was located. For some time Kaiba had entertained the possibility of operating an actual virtual reality game using a pod system as a new breakthrough entertainment system, and he devoted the rest of his day tinkering with it.

The afternoon came and went like a blur.

When Monday arrived, Kaiba played off the morning like nothing had happened. He felt Jonouchi’s presence when he entered the room to drop off his coffee and reports, but he disappeared just as quickly afterwards. Kaiba found himself staring at an empty room when he looked up from his computer.

Then Suzuki came by.

“Good morning Kaiba-sama, I hope you had a pleasant weekend. Was your golf outing successful? I hope Jonouchi-san behaved himself.”

“The outing was fine.” Kaiba felt distinctly uncomfortable bringing up the topic of Jonouchi. It seemed inappropriate to bring him up. “Let’s try not to agree to golf meetings in the future, though. I hate them. The sun is sweltering.”

“I haven’t forgotten your preferences, Kaiba-sama,” Suzuki joked, “Where would you rather us plan your outside meetings then? A restaurant perhaps? Or maybe a club.”

“The Kaiba Hotel is perfectly adequate until the weather cools down.”

Suzuki always looked so damn happy. Kaiba couldn’t understand why.

“I’ll let Asato-sama know and take care of that for you,” Suzuki replied, “I’m sorry about the heat.”

He made a small bow before leaving the room. Suzuki was always polite and well-mannered. Always agreeable. Kaiba almost found it annoying, and he knew the guy was placed there in his office because most people didn’t have the fortitude to work that position and not break down in tears all the time. However, Kaiba almost wished he’d just stop pretending to be so nice for one day.

If it was even pretend.

When Kaiba stepped out of his office, he found himself caught by Asato before he could get very far, but while she spoke to him, he could see Jonouchi working from the corner of his eye. His head was bent towards his laptop, eyebrows arched together in concentration. Everything about his face looked disgruntled, and he was chewing on his pen before his bright hazel eyes looked up and caught Kaiba peering at him.

His entire face flushed. When Asato stopped speaking, Jonouchi hurried out of his seat. He disappeared before Kaiba could even attempt approaching him.

When lunch came, Kaiba changed at his usual time and left the office. Suzuki offered to retrieve his lunch, and Kaiba found himself at the executive gym, pounding out kilometers on the treadmill with little regard to his physical discomfort.

Running had always been easy. Kaiba had the legs for it, and he could go long distances before his muscles finally gave out from abuse. It was a test of will power to charge on, and Kaiba couldn’t feel his own mental frustration build any longer when he felt his lungs about to burst instead, his hair clinging to his face and sweat burning in his eyes. Sometimes it was better at night, when no one was in the office at all. Mokuba approved of it more than alcohol, and it had the same effect, as far as Kaiba could tell. His mind would go completely numb as long as he threw one leg in front of the other.

Some days would require weights, but not that day. Finished, he took a shower before returning to his office in his work clothes.

Jonouchi was still missing from his desk.

Suzuki arrived shortly with hamburger steak. Kaiba ate silently, and he tried to focus on reviewing his schedule for the week when the nagging feeling wouldn’t stop chewing away at his mind.

Jonouchi was avoiding him. Him. Kaiba Seto, his boss and employer, the only reason Jonouchi had a job at all. It was absurd. Hadn’t they agreed not to make a big deal out of their hook up? That they wouldn’t act out afterwards because they were both adults?

They’d made the agreement after Jonouchi had originally been fired from his job, but that was beside the point. He should have considered the possibility that Kaiba would change his mind...

Kaiba preferred to tell himself that he hadn’t really fucked an employee.

He wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. There was nothing to be embarrassed over. Besides, Jonouchi wouldn’t rat them out. He would never betray himself like that, to anyone. The last thing he probably wanted anyone to know was how much he enjoyed getting reamed by the guy he professed to hate for so many damn years. He’d thankfully keep his mouth shut about it, and Kaiba had every intention of doing the same. The only person to tell would be his brother, but that was the last possible outcome Kaiba wanted to entertain.

It would just give Mokuba more ammunition to hate him.

“He doesn’t hate me,” Kaiba reasoned out loud, “This is just a phase. He’s an emotional teenager.”

What did Jonouchi know about them anyway? Nothing.

Disgruntled, Kaiba got up sharply from his desk and grunted. His calf muscles screamed, but he ignored it. He wasn’t about to cramp, and crossing the space of his office, he went into the lobby and found Jonouchi at his desk, appearing uneasy from his forward approach.

“I need you to assist me with moving equipment to my place tonight,” Kaiba ordered, and when Jonouchi didn’t respond right away, Kaiba raised an eyebrow. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“No,” Jonouchi blurred. “I can do that.”

“Have you been avoiding me?” Kaiba demanded, speaking in a less audible tone in case anyone was eavesdropping.

“Of course not,” Jonouchi argued, and he shrugged before turning his eyes back towards his computer screen. “I’ve just been very busy.”

“Hmpf,” snorted Kaiba “If you say so. Meet me at my car by five.”

Jonouchi nodded his head, looking back up and meeting Kaiba’s eyes with a trace of apprehension.

“It’s not going to take long,” Kaiba snorted, and he turned to leave before the conversation could continue any longer.

When the time came, Jonouchi had done as asked, waiting besides Kaiba’s car with an anxious look on his face. Ignoring him, Kaiba unlocked the vehicle and took the driver’s side. Jonouchi fidgeted about getting his seat belt on, clearly uncomfortable.

He did seem to admire the car. Mokuba had admired it too. He had asked for one for his birthday, but Kaiba had told him no.

“So, where’s the stuff?” Jonouchi asked suddenly. “I thought you wanted me for work.”

“It’s all in the trunk already,” Kaiba replied back as he rolled his eyes. What, did Jonouchi think he was kidnapping him or some shit? He didn’t need to do that if he wanted Jonouchi’s company. “I had someone from the R&D department already take care of loading. We just have to set it up in my apartment. It’s not that difficult.”

“If it’s not difficult, then why do you need me?” Jonouchi asked, his tone almost demanding.

“Because you work for me,” Kaiba shot back. “Assisting me is your job.”

“You never ask Suzuki,” Jonouchi complained under his breath.

“Suzuki is senior to you. It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Jonouchi merely grumbled in response.

Kaiba glanced at him as he drove. Jonouchi was still being mouthy. Way too mouthy. Nothing was probably going to change that. It seemed like he reserved his most obnoxious attitude for whenever Kaiba wanted him to do something, because Asato never complained about Jonouchi really after the one fuck up he’d done. He’d never been reported for disrespect. Jonouchi seemed capable of controlling himself until Kaiba got involved.

Since they were in close quarters, Kaiba could make out the smell of Jonouchi’s cheap but earthy cologne. Something like amber. It was distracting.

“Suzuki would gladly take your spot though, if you don’t want the job anymore,” Kaiba continued after some delay, “I thought you were happy to have your position back.”

“It doesn’t make me unhappy to be employed,” Jonouchi snarked. “Nobody likes being homeless.”

“Then it shouldn’t bother you so much to assist your boss.”

Jonouchi made a slight face, but he shut his mouth. Was it a victory? Hardly. He’d barely gave any kind of indication that he was grateful about Kaiba changing his mind about firing him. Maybe Jonouchi didn’t take the threats very seriously. He’d said as much to Kaiba before, during the fight.

When they reached the hotel, Kaiba stacked the equipment into Jonouchi’s arms that needed debugging. It was almost enjoyable to watch Jonouchi strain under the pressure of all the electronics. His muscles became visible when his biceps hardened and Jonouchi seemed aware of Kaiba’s watchful gaze. They stared at each other awkwardly before Kaiba grabbed the last piece for himself and walked away.

Instead of storing everything in Kaiba’s office, they stayed on the main floor of the apartment, using a spare room in the far back portion of the flat where Kaiba stored all his electronic creations. It was cold and sterile there, piles of equipment stored in the windowless room on steel shelves with a large table and rolling chair sitting at the center. There was also a replica virtual world pod there, as well as a partially functioning computer that Kaiba had put together.

When Jonouchi walked into the room, his eyes immediately focused in on the giant pod. He looked interested in it but much too self-conscious to speak up.

“Do you want to try it?” Kaiba asked.

“Not particularly.”

Frowning, Kaiba set the equipment down before placing his hands on the glass top. It looked like one of the rides at Kaiba Land, only sleeker and less childish.

“I plan to replace all the stimulation rides at KaibaLand with one of these one day,” Kaiba explained, “An experience someone can see and touch. No more Hollywood theatrics.”

“I like the old KaibaLand rides,” Jonouchi muttered. “There’s nothing wrong with them.”

“There’s nothing exceptional about them anymore, either,” Kaiba continued. “A company can’t become complacent just because customers never complain about the same experience. One day, this will change everything.

“Aren’t you a little interested?” Kaiba prodded. “You like the duel disk technology.”

“I like playing duel monsters,” Jonouchi replied back pointedly. He looked around the room before gazing at Kaiba directly. “Am I done for the day?”

Slumped, Kaiba waved him away. “Go ahead and leave.”

He would feel a frown wearing on his face as Jonouchi left the room. Was it that abhorrent to be in his presence? Kaiba wanted to know.

* * *

Akikio had suggested a date and Kaiba hadn’t been able to deny her. It wasn’t out of any sense of sentiment for her or a desire to be in her company, but Kaiba’s troublesome need to be around people. Without Mokuba around to keep him company, Kaiba was left starved for companionship. It wasn’t easy to find someone who didn’t bother him in some fashion, and while Akikio was a rather dull conversationalist, she was also at least pleasing to look at.

Kaiba had thought so, at least.

They had dinner at a Kaiseki restaurant Akikio had been interested in. Kaiba didn’t enjoy formal meals much at all, but Akikio found them entertaining. Or rather, she enjoyed watching people watching her with him. It had only been an inkling at first, from the way Akikio scanned around the room when Kaiba tried making conversation with her, but now Kaiba knew it was exactly as he had suspected.

She didn’t really listen to what he had to say. He could have called her a cow, and Akikio would have agreed with him. Talking to her was as informative as speaking to a mannequin, only a mannequin was far less upkeep.

It was when he felt dread going to her apartment that Kaiba began to feel out of sorts. He knew this routine. They’d been doing it for weeks. At his request not to bring her to his “business investment”, Akikio always brought Kaiba home and Kaiba never stayed the night.

When he laid down on the bed while she took off his clothes, Kaiba felt peculiar. Her body didn’t do much to excite him. Watching her strip was boring, and only when she began to blow him did Kaiba feel any kind of excitement at all that night. It was short lived, because she’d stopped before he could really get into it and now the arousal was ebbing away.

“Did you drink too much?” Akikio teased. “You don’t seem very into this.”

“I’m just tired,” Kaiba lied. “It’s been a long night. I should have told you that before coming here.”

Akikio flipped her long blond hair as if offended. “Oh no, I wanted you to come,” she cooed, “You can’t leave just yet. I can just take care of you if that would make you happy?” She winked before putting her hands on his dick.

“That can’t be too enjoyable for you,” Kaiba answered neutrally.

“It’s not like, unenjoyable,” Akiko laughed. “Would you rather do something else?”

“Get on your knees,” Kaiba instructed.

Akikio looked at him strangely but did as told. She looked rather silly on her hands and knees, from the way she appeared uncomfortable in doggy position. Kaiba tried not to think about it too much. They weren’t dating each other out of mutual pleasure for one another. He gave her what she wanted, and she’d never complained about what he demanded in payment.

This was what he wanted, after all. Sex without attachment.

He stroked himself a few times after putting on a condom. Kaiba tried to get into it but he could feel himself become soft after only a few seconds of thrusting. It felt more mechanical than anything, and Kaiba didn’t even feel a twinge of arousal from it. Pulling out, he sat on his knees for a few seconds in disbelief before pulling the condom off and putting on his boxers again.

“What are you doing?” Akikio asked. She looked embarrassed, but mostly irritated as she pulled her underwear up over her ass. Kaiba could hardly understand why. It wasn’t like he’d been satisfying her.

“Leaving,” Kaiba answered curtly. “Coming here was a mistake.”

“You don’t have to leave,” Akiko argued. She fell on her stomach and reached out for Kaiba, but he evaded her grip as he got off her bed. “I could just give you a blow job. I don’t mind.”

“Not interested.”

She frowned. “You’re tired, that’s all. Just stay the night with me.”

“I’d rather not.”

Akikio looked at him dejectedly. She must have sensed that something had changed.

“Am I unattractive to you or something?” she asked. He’d never seen her look so panicked before. Maybe she did care about something between them.

“No,” Kaiba lied. “I’m just tired. Goodnight.”

He left the room quickly after that, not wanting to continue the conversation any longer. The last thing he wanted from her, or anyone else, was invasive questioning.

* * *

It was a short ride to his own place, and when he found himself in the security of his own bedroom, Kaiba stripped down and masturbated under the sheets. He felt like he was sixteen again, but he didn’t care. Akikio had done nothing for him and Kaiba wasn’t entirely sure why. She wasn’t ugly and he liked women. There was no reason for him to lose interest so fast, but he had.

It was just so... formulaic. The sex never changed. Akikio noticeably faked her orgasms. Kaiba hated it. When he hadn’t had anything better, it didn’t seem so off putting, but now...

She wasn’t going to be enough.

They didn’t even like kissing each other. Kissing was exciting. It electrified him. When Jonouchi had kissed him, Kaiba felt alive in every fiber of his being, and the sounds of their copulating had woken him to every libidinous moment he’d missed in his life before their joining.

Jonouchi had enjoyed it. He’d been practically pleading for more. Nothing about their fucking had been fake or contrived, and Kaiba felt good while doing it. Even if he had broken all the rules and foolishly given Jonouchi his job back, Kaiba didn’t care. It was worth it. For a few brief moments, he hadn’t felt so damn dead inside.

And Jonouchi wanted him.

He came quickly, and after washing his hands and lying back down in bed, Kaiba decided on what to do about Jonouchi. He didn’t care about the company rules; he would act to explore any opportunities that might lead to them being together again. Agreement be damned. Nothing else was going to compare to sex with Jonouchi, as far as Kaiba could foresee.

If he remained under his control, Kaiba could feel confident in managing some sort of relationship with him. Neither of them were snitches. While Kaiba had his reputation to protect, Jonouchi had his pride. He’d never want to expose himself to ridicule. Especially considering his sexual preferences.

Jonouchi would keep his mouth shut. Unlike other employees at Kaiba Corp, who would become opportunistic when given the chance, Kaiba knew Jonouchi wouldn’t try blackmailing him for money. He just wanted to duel, that was it. Getting rich was not on his agenda. If the sponsorship remained within his grasp, he’d behave and stay close. Kaiba knew it would only be a matter of time before another opportunity would present itself.

Unless Jonouchi rejected him outright, Kaiba intended to seek him out again.


	9. Chapter 9

“You’re working for the man now, aren’t you?” asked Hirutani with a laugh.

Jonouchi looked up at him frowning, feeling the discomforting sensation of his skin beginning to crawl. He’d just returned from being dropped off by Isono from helping Kaiba with his electronics. The last person he wanted to see at the end of his day was a lurking Hirutani.

“What do you want?” Jonouchi asked. “I paid you on time and we aren’t pals.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t just check up on you,” Hirutani replied back. He was smirking, and before Jonouchi could evade him, he mussed his hair roughly. “Your old man wouldn’t know what to think of you looking like that. A desk jockey, bonafide. However did you manage that?”

“Luck,” Jonouchi answered curtly. “Look, I’m not interested in chit-chat with you.”

“Don’t be so stressed, Jonouchi,” Hirutani teased, “I’m not here to start any trouble with you.”

He brought up his hands over his chest like he meant to offense, but his eyes were way too piercing for that to be true. His face said it all. He was up to something.

“I just wanted to offer you a good time tonight,” Hirutani continued, “I got a pal in town who opened a new club. There’s some hot foreign girls working there, and I could set you up with one. When’s the last time you’ve gotten laid properly, Jonouchi? Sometimes I am just trying to be friendly. We’re still brothers.” Hirutani grinned, and Jonouchi could make out a gold crown in his mouth. “I’m still gonna take care of you, kiddo.”

“I’m not interested,” Jonouchi answered sharply, and he avoided touching Hirutani as he snaked past him.

“What are you, some queer now?” Hirutani laughed. “When did you ever turn down looking at naked girls?”

Jonouchi looked back at him and glared.

“I get it, relax,” and Hirutani took a step back while raising his hands again. “You were never one to like watching the rough stuff, but hopefully one day you’ll man up and change your mind. I see you again soon, Jonouchi. Don’t get too stuck up while I’m gone.”

Finally he left and Jonouchi managed to exhale. Looking behind him, he saw Hirutani traveling down the paved path towards the main street in retreat. How did he know when to show up? Was he trying to memorize Jonouchi’s work schedule? It all seemed so concerning. Jonouchi looked into the lobby of his apartment building, and there was a security officer there, but alerting him to Hirutani’s stalking would just make things worse.

Jonouchi didn’t want a confrontation, for once.

He quickly showed his ID badge when he got inside and ran up the stairs to his room, finding peace once he was inside and the front door was locked. Looking out his window, he could see the front entrance of the building, Hirutani nowhere in sight. Even if he was lurking there waiting for Jonouchi, there were at least security cameras stationed there. Jonouchi wasn’t sure about the other entrances, since he always got home sometime late around dark.

The last thing that needed to happen to him would be Hirutani catching him unawares. That would not be allowed to happen. And changing his routine would just spur on the harassment.

While he got ready for bed, Jonouchi tried to think about something else. Kaiba had been acting strange, trying to be unusually conversational. Jonouchi hadn’t even minded the stares so much, he was guilty of the same and had gotten used to that. They both knew about each other’s attraction to each other, even if Jonouchi wasn’t trying to make his so obvious. Kaiba trying to just talk to him was weird though.

Jonouchi didn’t quite know what to make of that.

The virtual pod concept did sound interesting to him. However, Jonouchi had no intention of getting roped into another game of Kaiba’s just because he was lonely. Jonouchi knew what desperation looked like. Kaiba was hungry for attention. Jonouchi was not going to indulge him. Especially since things were a little bit more complicated between them.

It would just lead to more emotional grief for him. Kaiba was so indecisive about what he wanted, and Jonouchi refused to be some sort of toy to take his frustrations out on because things with his brother had gone sour.

Kaiba didn’t have to say it. Jonouchi knew he’d struck a nerve that night when he’d made a shot at their relationship. The asshole could appear indifferent about a lot of things, but not about his brother.

Closing his eyes, Jonouchi fixed himself under the sheets of his bed and stared at the ceiling.

He wished he had someone to confide in, but none of his friends could know about what happened. Yugi would probably judge the least, but still. Jonouchi didn’t have the strength to tell him. It was too embarrassing. And confusing to explain, even to himself.

Jonouchi hated keeping secrets though.

* * *

The room was lit dim, with a few multi-colored flashing lights darting across the space while loud rap music blared from sound speakers set on the corners of the ceiling. Sitting on a red leather sofa, Jonouchi averted his eyes from having to look at the two people who were directly across from him. He couldn’t stand to watch, so he focused on everything else.

Hirutani had brought him to a club, without all the other guys. It was a strip joint, and Jonouchi had been there several times before. Some real hard looking types owned the place, but Hirutani had told him he was cool with them, so they could do whatever they wanted. Usually the entire group just took a table and had drinks for cheap, but this time Hirutani brought Jonouchi alone.

None of the girls looked or spoke much Japanese at all. Jonouchi wasn’t sure where they were from, because they never spoke much unless prompted to and seemed ashamed of their accents. There was always some bouncer-type watching them as they walked across the bar floor, and Hirutani didn’t seem interested at all in finding out who they were.

No, he had brought Jonouchi along and spoke to one of the managers before a girl was given to him and Hirutani took them both to a private room.

He was sitting on a leather chair while the girl was giving him head. Hirutani had a grip on her ponytail and Jonouchi couldn’t stand to watch. It wasn’t all that unlike the kinds of porn he liked to watch, but seeing it up close took all the fun out of it.

“Stop looking so embarrassed, kid,” Hirutani had said, and Jonouchi looked up before he felt his face begin to burn. “I’ll let you go next. Aika is a generous girl.”

“I think I’ll pass,” Jonouchi answered. He had a feeling “Aika” wasn’t the girl’s actual name, but Jonouchi wasn’t going to ask questions.

Hirutani grabbed his beer on the side table next to him before laughing. He drank like a slob, and Jonouchi averted his eyes again. Holding the can of Asahi, Hirutani began to look too much like his alcoholic father.

“You’re still young, so I get it,” Hirutani slurred, and he pulled Aika off of him before grabbing her by the arm. “You don’t know how to treat a woman, but I’ll show you. That’s what big brothers are for.”

She didn’t even fight. He pinned her against the edge of the bar table, shoving her chest down against the counter-top before hiking Aika’s black mini skirt up the small of her back. Hirutani yanked down her thong, and he started thrusting into her from behind. He used one hand to forcibly shove her head down each time he jerked his hips forward.

Hirutani seemed concentrated, feeding his cravings while Jonouchi noticed the dead eyed stare he received from Aika underneath him. She looked completely disassociated from her body. It was like the lights of her eyes had been snatched out of her skull.

Jonouchi couldn’t stand to stare once Hirutani started thrusting more erratically, and he looked away just as he heard loud, heavy pants and a half-choked cry. Looking back, Hirutani was zipping his pants up, but Aika hadn't moved. He seemed almost amused by it, slapping her hard on the ass before approaching Jonouchi with a big smile on his face.

“That’s how you treat a woman,” Hirutani declared. “It’s as easy as riding a bike, you’ll see. Next time, you'll go after me..”

Jonouchi tried to listen to Hirutani speak, but he could only pay attention to Aika as she tried fixing her clothes and exited out of the room.

She hadn’t even cried.

* * *

He’d woken up feeling disturbed the first time he’d dreamed that old memory, but after several nights of it replaying again and again, Jonouchi began to feel numb to it.

He tried not to let the memories of the past bother him, but some things were just too difficult to forget about. Recurring nightmares had gripped his subconscious again, despite it having been weeks since the last time Hirutani had visited him. Thankfully he’d been quieted from the money Jonouchi was routinely sending him. There was too much stress in Jonouchi’s life as it was, and he didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with both Hirutani and Kaiba at the same time.

Nothing much had changed, really. Jonouchi did his little tasks as directed and Kaiba continued to dance around him, not really showing his hand but always putting Jonouchi on edge. He seemed completely unwilling to just say what he wanted from him, instead trying to hook Jonouchi into half-attempted conversations before getting frustrated and giving up.

That only happened when they were alone. Any other time, Kaiba was standoffish and somewhat civil, at best, although sometimes he’d still snap on occasion.

Jonouchi tried not to let it eat at him. He still had to spend a great deal of time around him, from nomikai events to just working side by side on projects that Kaiba had picked out for him. Sometimes the work was actually exciting. Jonouchi found himself free at KaibaLand a few times working with technicians to test out brand new theme park attractions, but mostly, it was the same thing each day.

It wasn’t like he hated Kaiba anymore, either. Far from it. Sometimes the man was absolutely magnetic and Jonouchi found himself admiring him again, but those moments were far and few compared to all the other times that Kaiba appeared disgruntled and unhappy. Jonouchi tried to stay clear from the latter but Kaiba seemed determined to use him as a scapegoat for his frustrations. Jonouchi didn’t really like it but he often found himself doing the exact same thing back at him from time to time.

The memory of the club returned though, whenever Jonouchi laid alone at night in his bed. He could clearly remember the place. He was too young to understand it then but he knew now that it had been a Yakuza-controlled establishment, long since shut down for human trafficking. Hirutani knew all those kinds of guys, and Jonouchi had been way too young to connect all the dots back in the day.

He thought about that girl called “Aika” too from time to time. The guilt was there, even if he was too young to have done anything about it. Watching her get raped by Hirutani was like watching a cow resigning itself to the stunning box. She hadn’t even cried. There was no emotion on her face whatsoever. Just a blank stare.

It was hard to watch any kind of porn again without thinking back to that night.

Thankfully, things had changed slightly after Kaiba got invited to a business conference in Osaka that required him and Suzuki to attend. When Jonouchi had found out, he’d felt ecstatic. Sure, he was going to have to follow Kaiba around everywhere like a pet dog, but he’d be far away from Hirutani and wouldn’t have to worry about running into him for at least a few days.

He’d been so excited, Jonouchi even told Yugi about it. They spoke to each other over burgers, and Jonouchi was careful to tell him all his new developments since working at Kaiba Corporation without spilling the entire truth. The last thing he wanted to do was share his embarrassing secret to his best friend, someone who probably wouldn’t understand. Yugi always asked too many questions, and there were just some things that Jonouchi preferred to keep to himself.

Besides, Kaiba wouldn’t like him blabbering about it, either. No one really needed to know.

Jonouchi really made an effort to keep Kaiba’s name out of his mouth entirely. There was no need to talk about him. Although he was his assistant, not everything Jonouchi did was always revolved around him; most of his work came directly from Asato. If anything, Jonouchi assisted her work load unless Kaiba wanted something in particular from him.

Which was really only his daily coffee, his lunch, sometimes dry cleaning and those horrid meetings that came once a week Jonouchi had to take notes for.

Sometimes Jonouchi was still roped into having to work overtime at Kaiba’s hotel but he made an effort not to get caught up staying past the task. In case Kaiba tried anything again.

They’d all taken a flight to Osaka in one of Kaiba’s private planes to save time and rode a shuttle to the hotel. It wasn’t quite as grand as Kaiba Hotel but Jonouchi had his own room with a flat screen tv and a stocked mini fridge. Instead of sleeping on his futon at his apartment, he had an entire bed to himself with an actual mattress that felt great underneath his back.

His life felt very different now. Despite Kaiba having screwed him out of a dueling contract, Jonouchi was still managing to come out better than ever before. He never imagined flying anything besides economy, and Suzuki seemed almost- bored from it all.

Kaiba had sat alone away from them all during the ride. They had a short flight; only a little past an hour long, and he was working on his notebook while Suzuki slept in his seat next to Jonouchi. He’d tried to just watch the scene outside as they flew over the countryside, but every once in a while Jonouchi would catch Kaiba’s steely blue eyes studying him intently.

“What?”

Kaiba had played it cool like he’d never been doing anything besides playing with his expensive electronics.

“I didn’t say anything,” Kaiba had remarked.

Jonouchi’s face twisted as he watched Kaiba smirk that self-satisfied look of his.

“You keep staring at me,” Jonouchi pointed out. “It’s weird.”

“You’re sitting in front of me,” Kaiba responded neutrally, “Don’t be so sensitive.”

“Can’t really help it,” Jonouchi muttered under his breath.

Jonouchi began to hate him a little bit again. Wearing the grey matching sports jacket with a wide notch cut and slim trousers, Kaiba looked sharp. He also had on a white dress shirt underneath his jacket with an open collar that made him look young and hip in a way Jonouchi had never really seen before.

Kaiba seemed aware of it, too. That was the frustrating part. He sat there with one leg over the other, his shiny leather shoes reflecting the chrome trimming of the ridiculously fancy jet. He knew he looked good. Jonouchi could feel himself becoming small again in comparison.

Damn. He was so attractive sometimes, when his mouth was shut. Sitting there relaxed with his shirt open, Jonouchi could see more of his bare chest instead of just defined muscles underneath a workout shirt. He’d looked away and focused on gazing out of the window when it became too distracting. Kaiba hardly deserved Jonouchi’s attention. He was an ungrateful ass.

Away from him in his private hotel room, Jonouchi could clear his mind and focus on unpacking his belongings. They’d be there for three days and two nights. A nice reprieve from the stress of the corporation office... and Hirutani’s infrequent lurking.

He met Suzuki in the lobby when it came time to prepare for the first evening of the convention. They both wore ID tags underneath their necks that said “Kaiba Corp. Guest” across it with their names written below in much smaller text. Jonouchi felt so strange about it, still. He wasn’t used to it yet. Standing there in a sea of young men and women in suits and business skirts, all of who were trying to make it in the corporate world Jonouchi barely understood, he still felt out of place. Like he was faking it and didn’t really deserve to be there.

“Kaiba-sama should be arriving shortly,” Suzuki explained. “I think he’s just wasting time so he doesn’t have to wait around for the seats to open.”

“Figures. He can’t wait it out like the rest of us,” snarked Jonouchi. “Why did he bring us?”

“Entourage,” Suzuki laughed. “People like him don’t go anywhere alone. It’s an easy gig. I’ve done it before”

“So what, we just- hang out?” Jonouchi asked incredulously.

“Something like that.” Suzuki pulled out a notebook from his leather messenger bag he wore across his chest. “I have to write notes, so Kaiba-sama doesn’t forget anything pertinent, but you’re just here to listen and experience this.”

“Awesome. Just a lackey, essentially.”

Jonouchi glanced around and he didn’t see Kaiba anywhere. It could have been because of all the bodies swarming around, but Kaiba’s flashy grey suit was pretty conspicuous. He shouldn’t be so difficult to point out in a crowd.

“Don’t feel so upset, Jonouchi-san,” Suzuki teased, “Other guys in our department would die for the chance to hangout almost one-on-one with the boss. You should take advantage of it.”

“Kaiba-sama hates me,” Jonouchi replied, and it seemed so ludicrous to him that Suzuki could actually think otherwise. Sure, Jonouchi had sex with him, but he was pretty sure Kaiba fucking him had nothing to do with Kaiba liking him or not. “I’m only here because Asato had to stay behind.”

“You shouldn’t think like that,” Suzuki laughed, “Kaiba-sama doesn’t hate anyone. Also he picked you out in particular-”

He was cut off before finishing his sentence by the sounds of someone announcing to the crowds that the conference room was being opened. It was like the floodgates had been opened, so many people flocked to get inside, and Jonouchi stood frozen as Suzuki looked around until he felt someone’s hand grip his shoulder and he saw Kaiba suddenly standing right behind him.

“You’re sitting by me,” Kaiba directed, “Let’s go.”

Jonouchi had been situated between Kaiba and some man from another company. It occurred to him that maybe Kaiba didn’t want strangers rubbing up against him, but Jonouchi couldn’t shake off the feeling that maybe his intentions were far less innocent.

Several speakers got up to talk about robotics during the presentation and the new advances that had been made in the industry, but it was kind of dull to listen to. Jonouchi couldn’t understand the complicated jargon and he found himself becoming more and more aware of Kaiba’s every move. From the way he shifted in his seat down to the smell of his cologne, Jonouchi found himself noticing everything.

He tried not to move too much. Maybe if he had a job to do like Suzuki did, Jonouchi would have found it easier to pay attention, but there was literally nothing for him to do besides stay awake and appear entertained. Kaiba sat very straight in his seat, and it occurred to Jonouchi that he wouldn’t be able to just slump down and take a nap like he had in the auditoriums at school. Not while Kaiba sat right next to him.

His eyes shut a few times, but Jonouchi snapped them open before he could actually fall asleep. All the speakers started to sound the same after sitting there for over three hours, and Jonouchi only managed to perk up when someone from Industrial Illusions appeared on stage, but even that had been short lived. It was only for a moment that Jonouchi felt at all interested in what they had to say, and then once again, he found his thoughts overtaken by the presence of Kaiba.

When the end of the evening came, Jonouchi nearly jumped out of his skin. He tried to contain himself. Kaiba motioned for him to follow him out into the lobby where scores of people had begun to cluster as the evening’s events finally came to a close.

“I expect to see you both tomorrow for the morning opening here at nine sharp,” Kaiba directed, “There’s a party tonight at the ballroom here in the hotel, but don’t get too drunk tonight. I don’t want either of you two embarrassing me tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry, Kaiba-sama, I’ll take care of Jonouchi-kun here,” Suzuki had offered. Kaiba looked at him critically before gazing at Jonouchi directly. Feeling awkward, Jonouchi squirmed slightly, until Kaiba just rolled his eyes and walked away.

“Now what do we do?” Jonouchi asked. He turned to look at Suzuki, who just smiled and shrugged.

“We’re free, so... we can do whatever we want,” Suzuki laughed. “Let’s get dinner. Kaiba-sama never comes along unless it's an enkai event, so don’t worry about him. He’ll probably just go eat in his hotel room alone.”

Jonouchi wasn’t going to argue against dinner. Although he felt kinda guilty about Kaiba just eating up in his room alone (even though he did it to himself), Jonouchi wasn’t going to be left behind on going on a food adventure. Suzuki seemed to know what he was doing. He hailed a cab, and after a short ride, they stopped in front of a yakiniku restaurant and Jonouchi indulged himself on the best piece of steak he’d ever had in his entire life.

They also had a few beers, and Jonouchi found himself feeling pretty loose again by the time they returned to the hotel. With his badge still hanging over his neck, he was able to get into the small party that was going on in the ballroom, and Suzuki ended up introducing Jonouchi to people from other corporations, people he’d never even heard mentioned before.

“It’s always the same crowd who go to these sorts of things,” Suzuki explained. “I’ve accompanied Kaiba-sama three times since I took this position.”

“Three times?!” Jonouchi echoed. “I could barely stand one evening of it. How do you not fall asleep?”

“I take notes, of course,” Suzuki explained.

Jonouchi liked the way he smiled. His brown eyes were dancing and always so warm. Jonouchi could feel himself gushing over him again. Probably due to the alcohol. Suzuki had treated him.

“And sometimes the discussions are interesting. I always find it really intriguing when Industrial Illusions shows up to talk.” Suzuki shrugged his shoulders. “I wasn’t around during the whole fiasco with the old Board of Directors, but Asato was, and I know that Pegasus died shortly after his last tournament.”

“I was there,” Jonouchi stated, and he felt almost numb by the memory. “I was actually competing when it happened.”

“You didn’t see him actually die though, did you,” Suzuki exclaimed. “That would be quite the story!”

“Of course not,” Jonouchi replied. His whole neck was starting to burn. “I just heard about it. I didn’t know Pegasus personally, I just saw him during the competition...”

That was a tad fictitious, but Suzuki wouldn’t know any better.

They drank more beer. Jonouchi gave very censored accounts of his old dueling exploits, carefully leaving Kaiba out of the narrative. He didn’t need to know about how Kaiba had humiliated him as an amateur duelist, or nearly killed him back during their sophomore year.

Or how Jonouchi nearly drowned and Kaiba saved him during the last moment possible...

Probably best he didn’t bring up any of it.

But as Jonouchi felt himself become more intoxicated, he also started to feel like maybe Kaiba should have been with them that night. He hadn’t even tried to extend a hand to him, to see if he’d join them if maybe Jonouchi had offered. Sure, he felt kinda uncomfortable around him, considering the memories that still trickled into his subconsciousness when Kaiba was too close, but he wouldn’t mind Kaiba around. As long as he kept his mouth shut. It would be nice to just enjoy watching him drink alongside them...

What a dumb idea. As if Kaiba would agree to having company.

But Jonouchi couldn’t get rid of the idea of approaching Kaiba that night as he walked around with Suzuki meeting new people. Sure, Kaiba hated that sort of thing. He absolutely abhorred dealing with crowds, and unless he was on stage, he didn’t like being the center of attention, either. Jonouchi noticed a lot from watching him at Kaiba Corporation. He used to think that Kaiba was just some huge show off who wanted everyone to kiss his feet wherever he walked, but now he understood that Kaiba wanted respect from people... but he also desired to be left alone and admired from a distance.

It felt like a bad idea, but as the night wore on and he felt himself become progressively drunker, he couldn’t fight away the urge to go and see him. If only to make sure he hadn’t drank himself dead from loneliness.

Jonouchi couldn’t understand at all how Kaiba did it. To be isolated so much. He couldn’t even stand the thought.

When Suzuki turned in, Jonouchi pretended to head over to his own hotel room, but once he knew he was alone, he made a bee-line towards the elevators. He knew exactly where Kaiba’s suite was; he’d booked the room. Jonouchi didn’t have any keys but he did hope that maybe Kaiba would be awake and social that night so he’d let him in.

Snorting, Jonouchi shook his head. He’d definitely be awake. The man was probably an insomniac.

Knocking on the door a few times, Jonouchi held his breath until the lock clicked and the door opened. Kaiba appeared, appearing almost disgruntled, but then he smirked as his eyes met Jonouchi’s and it occurred to him what was going on.

“I don’t have any errands for you tonight,” he greeted, if that could even be considered a greeting. “It’s late. What do you want?”

“I just came to check up on you,” Jonouchi spoke, and he felt like the words slurred out of his mouth. It felt funny. “I wanted to apologize for not asking you to dinner with Suzuki and myself... I mean, it’s not completely my fault because you stalked away, but I would have invited you if you had stuck around.”

“I have no intention of hanging around my employees,” Kaiba replied, and he looked like he was ready to laugh. “Least of all, Suzuki. He’s a good assistant, but we aren’t buddies.”

“I like him,” Jonouchi argued.

“Of course you do,” Kaiba snorted. “I can tell. It’s not a secret.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jonouchi seethed. He’d never intentionally tried to be obvious about his attraction to other men. That would have spelled out disaster. Nobody, least of all Suzuki, knew, and Jonouchi planned to keep it that way.

“I just see the way you look at him sometimes,” Kaiba offered, “I’m not an idiot. I know what it looks like when someone is into somebody else.”

He thought he’d feel more embarrassed from Kaiba’s comment, but Jonouchi didn’t. He just glared at him straight on.

“Don’t worry, Jonouchi, I’ll keep your little crush a secret,” Kaiba mused. He was smirking again. Jonouchi hated it, and his face burned as his temper started to flare up.

“You’re so charitable,” Jonouchi deadpanned.

“I’d like to think so.” Kaiba opened his door wider before the drink in his previously hidden hand suddenly appeared. “Play a duel against me. I’m a tad drunk, so you might actually have a chance at winning finally.”

Jonouchi snorted. “I was drinking, too. And I don’t have my deck.”

“You don’t need yours, I brought a briefcase full of cards with me,” Kaiba explained. “Just make a deck. I promise I won’t use my main one, if that helps you feel like you have a chance against me. No Blue-Eyes White Dragons.”

“Or Enemy Controller?” Jonouchi added. “Or Crush Virus card?”

“It was banned years ago,” Kaiba reminded him, “What are you, afraid and looking for excuses not to?”

Jonouchi shook his head and he felt his mouth frowning at the lips. As if. He was never afraid, and he didn’t back down from challenges. Even ones he knew he couldn’t win.

“Show me your cards, Kaiba.”

* * *

They fought a duel that lasted longer than it really needed to. Kaiba picked out a fresh deck to experiment with, but he didn’t intend to lose. It wasn’t a ranked match, but he still had his duelist pride, and he concentrated on every move despite his brain working through an alcohol-induced haze that felt his ability to strategize slightly fried. He couldn’t think coherently, and several times he had to look over his cards to understand just what he was holding in his hand.

Jonouchi wasn’t much better. In fact, he appeared quite useless. It was only because of luck that he managed to last with twelve hundred life points, and Kaiba found the duel dragging on longer than it needed to.

Damn him for not bringing his actual deck along on the trip.

Whenever he glanced up to look at Jonouchi’s face, the dope was smiling. It wasn’t directed at him but Jonouchi was clearly entertained and didn’t seem to be taking the duel very seriously. He was grinning at the cards like they were all old friends. His eyes lit up when they had been putting together their decks. Kaiba would have appreciated the moment more if he wasn’t trying to get Jonouchi to play to win.

“Stop fooling around, or this will never end,” Kaiba complained. “Play like you mean it.”

“You don’t like how I play at all, so don’t sit there making requests now,” snarked Jonouchi. He was still looking over his hand. For the third time. “I play this in defense.”

Defense. Defense. Defense. Jonouchi had no strong monsters to attack with, so he continued to stall. Kaiba, despite having a superior dueling strategy, had no way of getting ahead of him. Jonouchi’s traps were tricky.

“You know, it’s more fun when you relax,” Jonouchi continued. “Yugi and I used to play for fun.”

“Playing duel monsters against you isn’t fun,” Kaiba argued, and he scowled when Jonouchi flipped another spell card against him. Predictable. Skull Dice. “If you had any sense at all, you’d just surrender and admit that I’m still superior to you.”

“The word surrender isn’t in my vocabulary,” Jonouchi shot back. He was always hopeful until the end. “I didn’t plan to win against you since I’m drunk, but I’m not gonna roll over on my back for you, either. You’re not that great and I’m not that terrible a player.”

Kaiba snorted. “You might not mind it so much if you gave it a try.” He flipped a counter trap and watched Jonouchi’s face wrinkle into a mix of anger and surprise. At least now Kaiba was gaining some momentum.

“There’s no point in playing anything if there isn’t any real kind of risk involved,” Kaiba spoke, and he could feel his words slur as his tone lowered and the weight of exhaust fell onto his shoulders. He shouldn’t be playing. He should be getting ready for bed.

But he refused to let up, or give up.

“Playing for fun is meaningless.”

“I’ve seen you enjoy yourself before, just whipping kids in street duels,” Jonouchi pointed out. “You had nothing to gain from it.”

“Those kids at least had something to lose,” Kaiba argued. Jonouchi was making a face now, and Kaiba just frowned as he stared at the card he’d drawn. “You don’t even care.”

“Not everything has to be a life or death struggle...” Jonouchi drew a card. He made an irritated expression when he read it, and apparently his poker face (if he ever had one) was shot to hell. “-Why didn’t you come down to the party? You stayed up here and drank alone all night. Suzuki and I might not be cool but you could have at least not been alone.”

“I’d much rather be alone than stuck with you all day and night,” Kaiba countered. Why did Jonouchi continually believe that he wanted to be surrounded by a sea of people? Not everyone was extroverted. Jonouchi seemed to glow when traveling in a crowd. Kaiba wasn’t paying particular attention to him, but he’d noticed. It had been apparent since day one. He never went anywhere by himself.

“Besides, you’ve been avoiding me.”

Jonouchi looked like he was offended, and he opened his mouth once before shutting it, the cogs in his brain whirling before he finally spoke up again.

“I wasn’t really trying to,” Jonouchi offered. He played a card finally in attack mode. Kaiba could feel his concentration becoming split. Even though it was a meaningless game, he wasn’t going to let Jonouchi upstage him.

“And I know that first part is not fucking true, because you’ve found ways to make me keep you company,” Jonouchi argued. “You’ve said so before, that you get lonely. Maybe if you tried just giving people a chance, you wouldn’t be.”

“I don’t owe anyone a chance,” Kaiba replied sharply. “And I didn’t ask for your advice, either.”

“So what, I’m supposed to just watch you be miserable and play these stupid games whenever you want me to?” Jonouchi disputed, and Kaiba could feel himself rolling his eyes as he tried focusing more on the duel.

“You lose eight hundred life points,” Kaiba dead panned. “It’s your turn.”

“Answer my question,” Jonouchi retorted. “I’m not done talking about this.”

“Well, I am. And I’m the boss, so continue the fucking game.”

Jonouchi looked up at him with a flushed face. His eyes looked alight as they bore into him until Kaiba could sense Jonouchi’s temper flare up. Then rather suddenly, he threw his hand of cards into Kaiba’s face before getting up and kicking his deck into the opposite side of the playing field.

“What the fuck is your problem, Kaiba,” Jonouchi screamed. “I don’t get it. Everyone has tried for years to forgive you and accept you, and you still just treat everyone like either shit or play things. I’m not paid to entertain you, or be some substitute when you wish your brother was here. I’m sick of it. Be fucking honest with yourself for once, or just be alone. You don't get to have both.”

“You insulted the cards,” Kaiba bellowed.

“Fuck the damn cards!”

Jonouchi was actually yelling at him. Kaiba could hear his voice rattling in his ears, and he knew the neighbors (if there were any in the suite section) could probably hear him, too. This was not going as planned. If Kaiba had any plans to begin with.

“Do you feel anything for anyone?” Jonouchi continued. “Someone besides your brother? Anyone at all?”

Kaiba felt his face twist as he looked up at Jonouchi. He appeared disgusted with him. Like he’d looked through him and saw nothing inside.

“If you find me deplorable, then leave.”

“I’m trying to help you,” Jonouchi argued. “Why can’t you get that?”

“I’m not asking for it,” Kaiba replied back. “We’re not friends. I’m your employer, that’s it. Either accept that fact, or find some other job that suits you.”

“You’re not going to fire me,” Jonouchi challenged.

He wasn’t heading towards the door like Kaiba predicted he would. Jonouchi was just standing there with his arms crossed, looking almost disappointed in him. This was such bullshit. Kaiba was too drunk for this kind of crap.

“We’re done playing,” Kaiba blurted in a quick rush of words. He picked up the cards and carefully placed them into separate piles before getting up and walking over to his spare suitcase. Jonouchi was following after him. Kaiba wanted to shove him away, but that wouldn’t lead to anything good. Them duking it out would just lead to another stand still, or someone sporting a bloody nose or lip the next day. Both situations were not advisable.

“I’m not leaving,” Jonouchi began, and Kaiba could feel his temples begin to pulse as he shut the case and picked it up with one hand.

“If I leave, I’ll just prove your shitty opinions about people,” he continued. He didn’t seem to be paying attention at all, and when Kaiba walked into his bedroom, Jonouchi continued on after him. He wasn’t even embarrassed about invading his space.

“And that’s just what you want too, isn’t it?” Jonouchi challenged. “So you’ll never have to change or feel vulnerable trying to give anyone a chance.”

He was standing by the doorway, and when Kaiba directly walked towards him, Jonouchi took a few steps back but he still looked defiant. Like the night when they’d fucked in Kaiba’s bedroom in the apartment. Kaiba hadn’t forgotten. It still played on his mind all the time.

“Don’t psychoanalyze me,” Kaiba warned.

“I’m just stating the obvious about you,” Jonouchi continued in defiance. “It’s not difficult to see just how upset you truly are. Mokuba’s gone, and you’re hurting. I’m not gonna be a cheap replacement for you and then get treated like dirt the very next day.”

“That’s not what this is about,” Kaiba argued. He wasn’t looking for a brother substitute in anyone. How absurd. The best he could wish from Jonouchi was a suitable distraction, and he was quickly appearing to be not even worth the trouble of that.

“Mokuba’s not the only person you’ve acted up over because they left you,” Jonouchi continued. “You pulled that huge stunt after you found out Atem passed on-”

“-You don’t know anything about that,” Kaiba snapped.

People liked to make a lot of wild assumptions about his rivalry with Atem, but Kaiba would not characterize any of it as a friendship. He had to see Atem one last time. Like he’d promised himself he would, to put his past behind him once and for all. To see if he could ever be the champion again like he had hoped to be, like he’d always fought to be.

Atem had been the best. Kaiba would never find anyone ever again who inspired him to improve as much as fighting him had. There was no substitute. He’d finally come to accept that fact. His fight with him was over.

“So, you didn’t miss him at all?” Jonouchi asked. His tone was no longer defiant. Just kind of sad. Like he was tired, or becoming upset. Even his eyes looked wet.

“No,” Kaiba answered.

“How can you be so damn cold?” Jonouchi’s face scrunched up before he looked down and sighed. “What about us?”

“What about us?” Kaiba echoed in a slightly mocking tone. “There is no us. We had a one night stand. It didn’t mean anything.”

“I think you like to tell yourself that, but it’s not true. You weren’t... I don’t think-” Jonouchi stammered, and Kaiba could tell he wasn’t stumbling over his words from embarrassment. He was trying to bring something up. But he couldn’t articulate it.

“I felt you, Kaiba. You aren’t a fucking emotionless robot,” Jonouchi spat out. “When it was all over... You didn’t fake any of it. You’re just afraid of getting close to people. It’s cowardly.”

“I don’t know what you’re babbling on about,” Kaiba challenged, but Jonouchi wasn’t backing down. He was walking straight into Kaiba’s personal space, and his eyes wouldn’t stop staring up into his. Not only was it uncomfortable, but Kaiba wouldn’t look away lest he allow Jonouchi to win.

“You touched me,” Jonouchi continued. “It wasn’t just you trying to get off. I know it meant more to you than that.”

“Don’t try to turn that night into something that it wasn’t,” Kaiba lectured, but Jonouchi was already in his face and not going to give up. He was drunk. The alcohol was evident on his breath and Kaiba tried to take a step back but Jonouchi just kept coming forward.

“Don’t lie in my face about it,” Jonouchi warned. “I’m not an idiot. I know what I felt, and you weren’t as disconnected from me as you like to pretend you were. Just look me in the eyes and tell me you didn’t feel anything at all after we’d had sex together. That it hadn’t meant anything to you when you touched me afterwards, and I was just making that part up in my head...”

“-it was an impulse, Jonouchi” Kaiba started, but he could feel his stomach tighten from the memory. He couldn’t stand to stare Jonouchi in the eyes when the sensation of discomfort continued to play in the pit of his gut. His heart was starting to race in his chest. Looking away towards the living room, Kaiba tried to cut Jonouchi off and leave, but Jonouchi was quick to come to his side, grabbing his hand.

“Don’t run away,” Jonouchi pleaded. “I want you to stay.”

Turning around, Kaiba gave Jonouchi a wary glance but Jonouchi grabbed onto his closest arm and yanked him. They were close to each other again, and Kaiba wanted to pull away, but Jonouchi wasn’t letting up on his grip. He looked very out of control with himself, his eyes wide and dilated. He touched Kaiba’s face with one hand before touching his hair with the other.

“Stay with me tonight,” Jonouchi offered. “I don’t care how you want to do it, just don’t take off and leave. You can pretend whatever you want about us afterwards. But don’t shut me out.”

Kaiba had been waiting for another chance, but Jonouchi’s proposition seemed precarious. Jonouchi’s words held so much weight, like half-whispered promises.

He wasn’t going to let himself get attached. That wasn’t what Kaiba was about. After everything that happened to him, he promised himself he wouldn’t ever be susceptible to being deceived by anyone ever again. Everyone who could hurt him, had. Nobody stayed honest or truthful, when Kaiba had hoped they would be.

But when Jonouchi rose up and kissed him, Kaiba seemed unable to do more than kiss him back and concede.


	10. Chapter 10

Kaiba wasn’t able to break away to think clearly until Jonouchi was scrawling on top of his bed, appearing disoriented as he looked around for something. They had both peeled off each other’s clothes except for their undergarments, and Kaiba could see Jonouchi’s erection through the thin cotton of his briefs. He looked irritated, and when he flipped onto his stomach to reach into the bedside table, Kaiba finally realized what he was looking for.

“It’s not in there,” Kaiba spoke up.

He had hoped that something would occur on the trip, which was why after debating many times in his head over packing lubricant and condoms, he’d actually brought them along. Worse case scenario, he’d be able to jack off without making a mess.

Quickly, he dug through his luggage before pulling out the items, and he tossed them over to Jonouchi before crawling across the bed.

“You were planning on this?” Jonouchi spluttered.

His face was red. Only a moment ago he was looking for them, and now he was angry that Kaiba had bothered to bring them. How typical.

“I didn’t plan on anything,” Kaiba corrected him, and he knew he was being a little snappy, but Jonouchi was making a lot of assumptions.

“I hoped for an opportunity with you and I didn’t want to squander it. What would we have done if I didn’t bring this stuff along, hmm? Stop everything to find a 7/11?”

“I’d try something a little less exciting,” Jonouchi joked. At least he was amused again. For the moment.

“Just shut up and take off the rest of your clothes already,” Kaiba ordered.

Jonouchi looked at him with a slightly crossed expression, sticking out his tongue before doing what he was told. He was surprisingly cooperative, which Kaiba hadn’t been counting on. Jonouchi seemed to know what he wanted. After getting his clothes off, he twisted around onto his stomach before grabbing a pillow and placing it underneath him.

Kaiba wondered briefly how he could be so comfortable like that, being so vulnerable in that position. Despite his curiosity though, he was too embarrassed and too distracted to ask. He liked how Jonouchi’s back looked, and the way it dipped and rose to the curve of his toned, well-shaped ass. Nudity didn’t seem to bother Jonouchi at all. Kaiba just stared at him for a moment, fighting back the urge to touch his exposed skin before grabbing the lube and coating his fingers with it.

“It’s gonna feel cold,” Kaiba warned.

Jonouchi turned around and smirked at him for a second before looking away again. He had his head settled against a pillow, his hands clutching onto it. He looked like he was just preparing to go to sleep. How could he be so damn relaxed? It wasn’t just Jonouchi having drank alcohol earlier. He didn’t seem too bothered by the first time, either.

“I don’t mind,” he answered, “Just be sure to take your time.”

Rolling his eyes, Kaiba knelt down behind Jonouchi, rubbing his fingers together until the lube on his hands didn’t feel so chilly. No matter what he did, Jonouchi was going to resist at first. That was just how anal penetration worked, but making sure his slippery index finger weren’t cold would at least help.

Kaiba had only been with two other men before, while on international business trips. When he was younger, he'd been curious and if he met an attractive man who didn't know who he was, it only seemed logical to take advantage. The sex both times had been physically enjoyable, but he didn't know anything about the men he'd been fucking. He didn't really know what he was doing the first time, because he'd been so drunk. Both times the other men had been just as inexperienced and nervous, probably because they had something to hide like Kaiba did.

The sex had been clumsy. Having a girlfriend made it easier to get the experience Kaiba desired, but he just didn't get very excited being with her. The kind of sex they had didn't make a difference; Kaiba felt nothing for her.

But handling Jonouchi was something else entirely. He was excited and expressive about getting what he wanted. He pushed back into the pressure just as much as Kaiba pressed in, and he had his head tilted back slightly, watching Kaiba’s ministrations as he breathed out of his mouth. From behind, Kaiba could clearly see each time his back twisted slightly from a change in sensation, or how his hands clutched harder onto the pillow when Kaiba picked up the pace of his strokes. When Jonouchi ceased to clench anymore, Kaiba pulled out, his erection so uncomfortably stiff. He didn’t think he could stand to wait it out any longer.

Jonouchi looked behind and watched him as he slipped off his last piece of clothing. His bright eyes were so big and inquisitive. He flushed in the face while looking at Kaiba’s nudity before turning away and hiding his face with the pillow.

Now he was bashful. It figured.

Kaiba didn’t care. With Jonouchi not looking at him, it made things easier. Jonouchi had told him he could do whatever he wanted to him, but it felt strange to take advantage of the offer, especially considering their unique situation. They’d still be seeing each other the next day. There was no escaping it; Kaiba was going to have an affair with one of his subordinates. While part of him found that fact distressing, the other part that actually controlled his actions was too emotionally starved, drunk, and horny to care about the potential risks involved.

Like Kaiba had reasoned before, Jonouchi would never tell anyone. He wasn’t a snitch.

He traced his right hand down along Jonouchi’s back, watching the muscles tremble before he settled it on the top of his backside. Although Jonouchi didn’t look back at him, he seemed apprehensive. The tension in his body was visible. Using his clean hand, Kaiba let his fingers comb through Jonouchi’s hair before letting it trail down to the nape of his neck, holding onto the top of his shoulder firmly while pulling him back. He used his other hand to hold Jonouchi’s hips stable while Jonouchi himself did nothing, and after a few awkward seconds, he got up on his elbows.

“This doesn’t bother you?” Kaiba asked. Not that the answer would change his desire, but he felt weird just directing him without getting a word of reaction back.

“I don’t care,” Jonouchi replied, and he looked back briefly, his cheeks darkly flushed before he turned away. “I said you could do whatever you wanted. And I meant it.”

Kaiba reasoned he wouldn’t worry himself about it, then. Fumbling with the box of condoms, he dropped it once before struggling with the wrapper, and after a bit of effort to get the damn thing on correctly, he used a generous amount of lubricant to coat his erection. It felt slightly chilled, and he stroked himself a few times, his stomach coiling from the pleasure before he finally held onto Jonouchi’s hips and properly lined himself up.

On entry, Jonouchi’s sphincter muscles immediately clenched around him, but Kaiba bit his lip and waited for them to give. He only had the tip in, and everything sounded so quiet; he thought he could hear Jonouchi’s breathing underneath him. Then he heard him sigh, and his dick slipped in further, the pressure surrounding Kaiba like a warm hug. The heat sent shock waves of euphoria straight up his spine, hitting him like a tidal wave.

Kaiba was so thankful he was wearing a condom. The shaft of his dick twitched, and after taking a few seconds to breathe, Kaiba looked down and started pulling out, watching himself go in and out of Jonouchi with a satisfied grin until the pace was set and he could hear Jonouchi’s own sounds of contentment.

There was something stirring about looking down from above. Jonouchi’s back glistened from sweat in the lamp light, and he liked how his shoulders trembled each time Kaiba shifted his position slightly. His thighs would shake and his butt cheeks would tremble each time Kaiba entered into him from behind. The noise of it sounded like clapping. Jonouchi pushed back against him too, his moans of encouragement clearly audible. Kaiba took that as a sign to continue at a faster pace.

Jonouchi’s desperation was satisfying. It made Kaiba feel big all over, and he let go from holding onto both sides of Jonouchi’s hips to jerk off his dick, feeling the muscles tight against his fingers until pre-cum started dripping. Jonouchi’s cries were nearly as loud as Kaiba’s throaty groans, and he stroked him aggressively until he heard the sounds of Jonouchi orgasm underneath him. It was both undignified and satisfyingly raw. Adjusting himself, Kaiba grabbed onto Jonouchi’s ass with his newly free hand and he clutched onto the firm muscle as his thrusts became erratic, and finally, he felt himself cum.

His shoulders trembled violently, and Kaiba found himself almost out of breath as his heart banged painfully against his chest. He pushed back his sweaty bangs with his clean hand, and looking down at Jonouchi, he grinned with an overwhelming sense of pride when Jonouchi looked back at him, appearing satisfied. His face appeared relieved but also flushed and very worn out. Once he looked away again, Kaiba pulled out and took off the condom, tying it and throwing it in the waste bin near the bed before laying down on top of Jonouchi’s back.

Jonouchi’s scent was strong, like the musky smell of a sweaty man after a workout, only Kaiba could smell himself on him as well. The sex smells. It wasn’t offensive at all, like Akikio’s could be. He took in a long inhale with his nose against Jonouchi’s blond hair before he tried to relax into something like an embrace.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go, but Kaiba was way too drunk and happy to fight it. His softening erection was still right against Jonouchi’s firm backside, and he grinned as he ran a hand along Jonouchi’s rib cage.

“How was it?” he asked.

“Intense,” Jonouchi replied in a quiet murmur, “I wasn’t left disappointed. I enjoyed your performance.”

“Good to know.”

The embrace was starting to feel too familiar. Pulling himself up, Kaiba looked down at Jonouchi one more time, watching the surprised look in his hurt eyes. Kaiba bit his lip before moving to rest on his back. He stared at the ceiling for a few tense minutes, and after glancing back at Jonouchi a few more times (who hadn’t said a word), Kaiba adjusted to laying on his side and facing away from his companion.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” he mumbled.

“Yeah, sure,” Jonouchi answered quietly. Kaiba wanted to look back at him again, but he forced himself not to, instead just closing his eyes.

* * *

Coming to, Jonouchi first noticed a slight ache in his rectum before opening his eyes and realizing he wasn’t at home. The realization came at him in a panic, and he jumped up and looked around quickly before remembering the night before. Kaiba was sleeping right next to him, facing his side with one hand on his hip. Jonouchi pulled away before slipping his legs over the edge of the bed.

He didn’t feel as hungover as he should have, considering how much he’d drank the night before. Although it wasn’t the first time he’d had sex, it felt weirder this time around. It was two hours before the conference, and Jonouchi wasn’t even sure if he’d be able to get through his day without grimacing. His thighs felt heavy and his hips felt tender. When he pulled the blankets back and looked, Jonouchi could see slight red speckles under his skin that looked like nail marks. Kaiba must have gripped him harder than he remembered. Jonouchi probably was too drunk and turned on to really notice.

Looking at Kaiba’s sleeping face, Jonouchi could feel his frustration begin to grow in his chest. While he’d been more than satisfied the night before, he couldn’t help but also resent Kaiba for once again taking advantage of the situation. Yes, they’d both wanted sex together, Jonouchi would never contest that, but Kaiba had been planning for them to fuck again... despite having a girlfriend. Despite threatening to fire Jonouchi again the night before. Despite their precarious work relationship and Kaiba’s position as his employer.

It had been subtle, but Kaiba had threatened him again. Jonouchi hated that, but he hated himself more for allowing their tryst to continue. They weren’t even friends. Jonouchi wished he didn’t care so much about Kaiba. He knew Kaiba didn’t give that much of a shit about him. The night before, the only thing Jonouchi cared about was making Kaiba stay, so maybe he was being manipulative, too. He wasn’t sure, but Jonouchi knew at least if he was being manipulative, he wasn’t malicious about it.

Jonouchi had been the one to offer, after all. Kaiba had been flirty for the past few weeks but he’d never been bold enough to actually try propositioning him again. Jonouchi had been foolish to do it instead, and now was he kind of regretting it.

Not because the sex was bad, or because Kaiba treated him poorly, but...

But because he knew nothing between them would change. He’d given Kaiba an out, so he wouldn’t have to be responsible for anything and they could continue on like nothing had happened. Jonouchi wasn’t sure he could live like that anymore. His feelings were constantly shifting, and he knew Kaiba was battling the same issue, too.

Hell, they’d almost cuddled until he pulled away and said goodnight. It had felt... nice.

Now Jonouchi felt slightly empty.

Getting up, Jonouchi snatched his underwear from the top of the covers and slipped them back on before collecting his clothes. He had time to gather himself before Kaiba would wake up and he’d have to face the music. There was no way of knowing how Kaiba would act after the night before, but Jonouchi could at least control himself. With Suzuki watching them both, he’d need to be careful.

Fuck, why couldn’t he be fucking him instead?

Sighing, he dressed himself and left the room. The suite was a mess, and now Jonouchi could see the empty bottle of whiskey Kaiba had been drinking that sat on the kitchen counter. He had an entire space to himself that was large enough for a couple, so it was no wonder that he was so lonely. Kaiba probably had no idea what to do with himself. The suite was bigger than Jonouchi’s damn apartment.

The hallways were thankfully empty while he walked back to his room, and Jonouchi doubted any security guard would take too much notice of the footage. They probably thought he was a visiting friend who got drunk after partying too hard. That was a better excuse for him staying up there than what really happened.

Once safe in his own room, Jonouchi stripped off his soiled clothing and took a shower.

He’d been slow to leave once safe in his room, but eventually he heard a knock on his door and Jonouchi found Suzuki standing on the other side, dressed to impress. His dark eyes smiled and Jonouchi found himself following him down to the dining room on the main floor. Neither of them had the money to really splurge on room-service, and Jonouchi didn’t mind eating with everyone else in the banquet room. The space was large enough, and he needed coffee to help cure his headache.

“I didn’t think you liked the stuff,” Suzuki marveled. “Becoming a true Kaiba Corp employee now?”

“I just feel wiped out and hung over,” Jonouchi replied neutrally, “Drinking tea isn’t going to be enough to cure my headache.”

Suzuki appeared humored and laughed at that answer. Jonouchi was pleased. When he went on alone to pick out his food, Jonouchi purposely fell behind, looking over grapefruit and a large selection of bananas before he left a familiar presence at his back.

Turning around, he nearly dropped the fruit in his hands. Kaiba was right next to him, looking way more good than necessary and standing much too close for comfort. Taking a step back, Jonouchi tried to just go on like nothing had happened, but then he heard Kaiba clear his voice.

A trap.

“What are you doing right now?” Kaiba asked.

Jonouchi blinked. What kind of question was that?

“Getting breakfast,” Jonouchi replied. “That’s why I’m standing in a buffet line...”

“There’s too many people here,” Kaiba complained. He looked very ill at ease.

“I’m ordering food in my room.”

“Yeah well, some of us don’t make enough money for that,” Jonouchi snorted, “I’m happy with the buffet.”

“You could come back up with me,” Kaiba offered.

Jonouchi raised an eyebrow at the request. This was a strange development. His stomach flopped and he could feel a sensation of lightness dancing around his gut before he shook his head in response. Entertaining the idea of breakfast together was not a good idea. Kaiba’s face fell when he realized he was being rejected, and he looked almost offended to boot.

“I came here with Suzuki,” Jonouchi explained, “I can’t just leave him behind. Unless you want him to come along.”

“That wasn’t my intention,” Kaiba argued, and he looked even more disgruntled at Jonouchi’s verbal answer before snatching a grapefruit of his own from the bin.

“If you don’t want to leave him, suit yourself. I’ll see you in an hour.”

Jonouchi nodded his head before quickly turning away. He grabbed some huge pancakes from a tray before throwing butter and syrup on top, and once he found Suzuki at a table, he sat down and ate quickly. He could feel eyes on him, and after a few minutes, he looked back to see Kaiba standing near the exit, looking at him with an irritated expression on his face before he turned around and left.

Did he think Jonouchi would change his mind?

“That’s a lot of food,” laughed Suzuki, and Jonouchi snapped out of his trance at the mention of it. He barely even tasted it.

“Aren’t you afraid you might get sick?”

“Pfft, no,” Jonouchi replied, “I have a stomach made out of iron, and I’m starving. I woke up feeling like I’d run a marathon.”

“What were you doing, exercising in your sleep?” Suzuki replied, and Jonouchi felt his cheeks flush as he retraced the events of the night before. Did sex count as exercise? Probably.

“I felt energized,” Jonouchi lied, “The party had left me feeling awake.”

Jonouchi hated lying, but Suzuki didn’t ask anymore questions. He started turning the conversation towards work, which Jonouchi didn’t mind. It was a safer avenue to discuss, and he tried to keep the conversation going even though he wasn’t entirely interested in his workplace responsibilities. Sure, he wasn’t terrible at his job anymore, but he didn’t find it fun either. He certainly didn’t want to involve himself in the office theatrics Suzuki spoke about.

They ate quickly. Once finished, Suzuki took Jonouchi to the hotel souvenir shop to look at the beautiful packages of cookies, alcohol, and Osaka memorabilia on display.

“Get a bottle of sake for tonight and some cookies for the office,” he’d suggested.

Jonouchi considered it, but the prices were expensive.

“Maybe, I’ll think about it.”

He didn’t want Suzuki to know just how poor he was. Especially since Hirutani was leeching off his paycheck.

When it came time to return to the auditorium to listen to more presentations, Jonouchi found himself once again wedged between Kaiba and whichever stranger snatched the seat next to him. When the time came to meet up again, Kaiba hadn’t even looked at him; he strode past both Jonouchi and Suzuki before grabbing the row of seats he wanted wordlessly.

It was so uncomfortable. Kaiba appeared stiff sitting in his seat and Jonouchi tried his best not to notice him too much but he failed. His cologne was enticing and Jonouchi liked the suit he was wearing. Thankfully it was black, or else Jonouchi would have had a harder time keeping his eyes forward. He had to shift a few times, because of the strange numbness he felt from sitting too long, but it made him feel incredibly exposed each time he did.

Thankfully, he wasn’t walking strange, nor was he all that sore anymore. The aching was mild, almost like a memory, and Jonouchi kept his facial expressions mostly under control until the lunch break came and Kaiba just rushed past him altogether.

He didn’t know where Kaiba had gone, but he’d stayed alongside Suzuki, who knew the way to the closest 7/11. They bought cheap karaage there and ramen bowls, which they ate at their hotel room to save money.

As a teenager, Jonouchi had lived off the stuff. There was barely any income, and the only way he’d been able to afford to eat was from buying junk at the corner store near his apartment. His father had been too drunk to really worry about grocery shopping, he’d considered it “women’s work”, and Jonouchi didn’t even see him sometimes... From time to time, his father would just disappear for days.

Sometimes he’d worry the old man had actually died some place, until the slob would show up in the middle of the night pissed drunk and sobbing. Or raging. His emotions ran from one extreme to the other.

“We’re almost halfway through,” Suzuki had mused, and it broke Jonouchi’s thoughts from his rough childhood. He didn’t need to be thinking about that anymore.

“Yeah, I’ll be glad when we’re on the flight back home again.”

A reprieve from Hirutani had been appreciated, but Jonouchi thought he was going to die from boredom if he had to listen to another product explanation for some bit of technology he could barely understand.

“I still don’t get why Kaiba brought me along,” Jonouchi grumbled.

“People like him never attend events like this alone,” Suzuki laughed. “They always have ‘handlers’. Even if there’s nothing really for us to do, we still serve a purpose.”

“Which is what?” Jonouchi asked in a disgruntled tone. “I think any intern in the corporation would have rather gone to this than me.”

“Kaiba wanted you here,” Suzuki pointed out. “And we attend so the higher ups aren’t by themselves. They always need an entourage. Just pay attention and look at the other people around you. Most of the other young guys here do the exact same thing.”

Jonouchi did try to pay attention. When they returned to watch the afternoon events, Jonouchi tried to look out for the older men in attendance, looking at their badges and trying to find out just where they had come from. He wasn’t very slick about it either, and several times Kaiba casted him almost annoyed looks before Jonouchi finally sat down in his seat and focused on the stage. He saw at least three older men who might have been high corporate executives, and Suzuki was right. They were always followed by two or three younger men, and sometimes women.

Did they hate their job as much as he did? Jonouchi wished he could read their minds.

Finally the end of the day came, and Jonouchi immediately clinged to Suzuki, but he appeared wrapped up in his phone.

“Aren’t we going to get dinner now?” Jonouchi asked.

There was a rush of people going past them in the lobby outside the auditorium. Kaiba had disappeared, as usual, and there was a sea of black suits swirling around that almost made Jonouchi’s head spin. It didn’t matter if he was one of them now, he still found salarymen to be some kind of species of human separated from mere mortals. They moved together like massive schools of fish.

“Actually, a friend messaged me and asked if I’d meet them for dinner,” Suzuki began, “I’m so sorry, Jonouchi. We can have lunch tomorrow, of course.”

“Oh no, it’s okay.” He felt bummed that Suzuki wasn’t going to invite him along. Maybe it was a date. There were some women around. Jonouchi didn’t want to hurt his game.

“I should take it easy tonight anyways,” Jonouchi reasoned, “I’m still tired from last night.”

“Good idea,” Suzuki agreed. “Take a nightcap and get some sleep.”

“Will do.”

When Suzuki left, Jonouchi just looked around awkwardly before deciding to wander Osaka on his own. He decided not to go very far; Jonouchi didn’t trust himself not to get lost, and the city seemed so much larger than Domino City. The streets were much more crowded, and he tried his best not to collide into people, but rush hour traffic made it difficult.

He ordered some curry and brought it back to the hotel. Then stopping at the gift shop, he bought the house shochu before going to his room and finishing his food. The bottle sat in his fridge, and Jonouchi thought over it for some time, as he watched stupid game shows on the tv. The whole place was so nice, he didn’t have anything HD at home, and Jonouchi wondered for a moment if he ever would.

Then the idea occurred to him. He didn’t want to drink alone.

While he wasn’t exactly pleased about Kaiba’s cold behavior after great sex the night before, Jonouchi knew he’d done the wrong thing by shunning him in the morning. It had been a poor reaction. Kaiba asking to eat with him was probably the closest Jonouchi was ever going to get to being given the proverbial olive branch. The last thing he needed to do was piss the guy off some more.

Grabbing the bottle, he decided to just take a chance and knock on Kaiba’s door. Jonouchi chewed himself out the entire ride up, but once he was standing in front of Kaiba’s door, he swallowed his pride and knocked three times.

Nothing happened. Squinting his face, Jonouchi looked at the door again, and he raised his fist to try once more when the door flung open and Kaiba stood in more relaxed clothes on the other side.

“What do you want?”

The tone was accusatory. Jonouchi took a step back.

“I bought a bottle of shochu from the hotel’s gift store,” Jonouchi began, “I just wanted to ask if you’d be interested in sharing a drink.”

Kaiba looked at Jonouchi’s face before his eyes trailed over the bottle in question.

“I wanted to make a peace offering for this morning”, Jonouchi began. “I’m sorry for blowing you off.”

Kaiba just snorted.

“It’s a little too late for that.”

Then, unceremoniously, the door was shut in his face.

Stunned, Jonouchi just stared at the door for a few seconds.

Ugh.

Sighing, he took his bottle and made the trip back to his room alone.


	11. Chapter 11

Jonouchi never opened the bottle of shochu at all, thanks to the rejection he’d received from Kaiba during their last night in Osaka. Instead of opening it and drinking alone in his room, Jonouchi had stuffed it into his duffle bag and tried to sleep early, all his anger bubbling on the surface for sometime before Jonouchi turned on the tv to something inconsequential and used quiet movie voices as a lullaby. He didn’t want to see Kaiba’s face when he closed his eyes, nor did he want to hear his deep, disgruntled tone echoing in his mind.

The flight back to Domino City had been uneventful, at least. Kaiba barely spoke at all, and he’d spent the entire ride staring at his electronic notepad. Jonouchi did his best not to steal glances, but he still did from time to time. Once again, he sat next to Suzuki, who slept through the flight while Kaiba sat directly in front of them. He seemed so good at pretending like nothing could break his steely composure, and Jonouchi hated him a little bit for it.

The more he was around Kaiba, the more Jonouchi couldn’t stand it. There was nothing he could do about the constant proximity, which made him feel even worse about it. When they weren’t around each other, Jonouchi felt angry still at Kaiba for being distant, but when they were close together, Jonouchi would feel irritated about the sex. He didn’t like the idea that he was being used. Kaiba had planned on something happening, because nobody carried around condoms if they weren’t planning on having sex. And since Kaiba didn’t bring his girlfriend with him, he only had one other option.

Discontent, Jonouchi felt his emotions swinging back and forth continually while he tried not to go insane.

He wasn’t handling their deal very well. It was never his intention to get so wrapped up in Kaiba. Jonouchi tried not to think about him, but Kaiba was a great nuisance each time he came close enough that Jonouchi could smell his sandalwood-scented cologne. It was all too familiar.

The situation for him was better at the office. Returning to Kaiba Corporation meant business as usual, and Jonouchi found himself mostly untroubled as work piled up. Kaiba was safely tucked away in his office, a healthy distance finally placed between them.

The distance was so great, in fact, Jonouchi was almost bothered by it. Suzuki took over his duties with the departmental meetings out of nowhere, and Jonouchi found himself doing errands throughout the entire building for Asato instead of doing the things he usually did... namely running Kaiba’s personal errands and satisfying his last minute demands.

Jonouchi didn’t know how to feel about that. From his desk, he noticed how often Suzuki was scrambling in and out of his office, and for the first time, Jonouchi began to feel insulted by the lack of work. Kaiba had to be purposely dumping his job on Suzuki, that much was clear. It was super obvious. He probably didn’t want Jonouchi in close proximity anymore, so now Jonouchi was in some sort of exile.

Jonouchi tried not to scowl at his desk, but he couldn’t help it. He was decent at his job now. What could Suzuki do that Jonouchi didn’t know how to do himself at this point? Dammit, he even got down how Kaiba took his coffee.

Were they going to start spending late evenings together at Kaiba’s hotel now too? Jonouchi couldn’t help but wonder and it made him feel even more upset.

He wanted to say something despite knowing confronting Kaiba would do no good. Instead, Jonouchi just tried to grin and bear it, hoping that Suzuki wasn’t spending late nights playing chess with their lonely boss. It wasn’t likely that Kaiba would go around sleeping with all his junior staff but Jonouchi couldn’t stop his mind from coming up with all the impossible scenarios.

Then one day out of the blue, Mokuba returned.

Jonouchi hadn’t noticed right away. There wasn’t any kind of announcement. He had been working diligently at his desk when someone stood in front of him, staring down at his work before Jonouchi looked up and became startled.

Mokuba stood directly in front of him, beaming a great smile and appearing somehow taller than the last time Jonouchi had seen him.

“Mokuba-sama,” Jonouchi spat out in a slur of words. Mokuba almost looked ready to laugh at him, as if Jonouchi had said a funny joke.

“I didn’t know you were returning so soon,” continued Jonouchi, “What can I do for you?”

“Just Mokuba is fine, we know each other,” Mokuba replied back with a grin. Jonouchi just snorted. The same smirk. It was genetic.

“I came to see my brother, of course,” Mokuba explained, “And I wanted to visit you. To see how you were doing. Things didn’t go according to plan, and I apologize. I shouldn’t have left you to meet me in the United States. I had no idea that Seto would react so poorly to the entire thing.”

“It’s fine, I’m fine,” Jonouchi tried to laugh. “I’ve been adjusting to my new cage.”

“Hmm, I think you’re just trying to make the best of things,” Mokuba laughed. “Which I guess is good. I’m glad you haven’t been fired. Or else I’d have to go search all over town for you.”

“That makes me feel special,” Jonouchi chuckled. At least one Kaiba cared about him. “How long are you here for?”

“Just a few days,” Mokuba announced. “There’s some meetings I want to be present for, and I also want to be here to support my brother.”

“I didn’t think he needed any kind of support.”

Mokuba rolled his eyes.

“Don’t let his big act fool you,” Mokuba smiled. “He’s the ringmaster of this circus, but even he’s just playing a part.”

Mokuba winked before leaving, and Jonouchi watched him head towards Kaiba’s office directly to do whatever it was he really needed to come home for. Jonouchi knew there was some trouble with the board giving Kaiba the approval he wanted for the duel disk project, but Jonouchi didn’t give that kind of stuff much thought. It was discussed ad nauseum around him, because the other staff apparently had nothing else better to do than gossip over their boss, but Jonouchi didn’t want to get into Kaiba’s business like that.

It just felt... weird. And invasive. Totally none of his concern.

Morning turned into noon, and Jonouchi took his lunch break on time alone, finding himself engulfed by people in the Kaiba Corporation Cafeteria. It wasn’t unpleasant by any means (he met some cool people in different departments from time to time), and the food was surprisingly pleasant. Suzuki liked to eat outside the building whenever they got a chance to have lunch together, although Kaiba’s schedule made that uncommon.

But what Jonouchi found the most interesting was spotting Mokuba sitting down to eat a bento box just a few tables away from him. And stranger yet, Kaiba took the seat across from him. At first Jonouchi was just staring in shock at the sight of the back of Mokuba’s head, but then his eyes got caught in Kaiba’s. He quickly grabbed the rest of his lunch and hurried out of there.

Feeling awkward riding back up to the Executive floor, Jonouchi leaned against the glass elevator until he was all the way up. Taking his seat at his desk, he ate in a rush, lest anyone show up out of the blue.

It was almost an hour before Jonouchi found himself approached again. He was much more aware this time, but all it did was give him a sense of anxiousness and dread as he saw Kaiba walking towards his desk. He was dressed in workout clothes and his eyebrows were fixed in a disapproving expression.

“You spoke to my brother today,” Kaiba deadpanned.

Was this work related or was Kaiba trying to interrogate him? Shifting in his seat awkwardly, Jonouchi dropped his gaze and glanced back at what he was doing.

“What did he ask you about?” Kaiba demanded.

“He just wanted to know how I am doing.” That was the truth.

“What else?”

“He um, wanted to apologize,” Jonouchi muttered in a low tone, “For me still being here.”

Kaiba paused minutely before his voice dropped down an octave. “What else?”

“That’s it,” Jonouchi replied quickly, “We didn’t speak for long.”

“He takes far too much interest in you,” Kaiba complained. “He’s convinced that you remain his personal project. You haven’t proven yourself ready yet to leave here, as far as I’m concerned.”

“Why am I not doing my normal job right now?” Jonouchi demanded. While he felt afraid to ask, he was also still feeling the sting of dismissal. As if it wasn’t at all personal. Kaiba didn’t act on logic, when it concerned their relationship.

“I know how to serve your damn coffee,” Jonouchi continued. “Does it have to do with us hooking up at the conference?”

“We’re not speaking about the conference here,” Kaiba snapped. “Don’t bring it up. Suzuki needed more to do, not that it's any of your concern. You have a supervisor. Don’t ask me questions that other people are responsible for answering.”

“She wouldn’t be able to tell me why,” Jonouchi argued. “Only you know why you do the things you do. You act like you can’t stand me now.”

Kaiba scoffed before rolling his eyes.

“I have three assistants, and not everything has to do with you,” Kaiba pointed out sharply. “Now get back to work and mind your own business.”

Scowling, Jonouchi watched as Kaiba retreated into his office. Mokuba appeared soon afterwards, a look of determination across his face. Jonouchi watched him enter the office before minutes passed and it seemed like nothing else would happen. But then suddenly the door swung open, and Kaiba unceremoniously marched out, leaving Mokuba behind. He never returned for the rest of the day.

* * *

Later that night, Jonouchi found himself stuck at another enkai. It wasn’t like before, when he went with Suzuki. His supervisor was still there, of course, but Jonouchi arrived later. After paying his part for food and drinks, he awkwardly took a seat next to Suzuki before Mokuba came out of nowhere, snatching the place that was still open next to him.

“Aren’t you too young for these things?” Jonouchi asked. He was humored by Mokuba’s presence, but at the same time, he didn’t want to be watched by him all night. Not if Kaiba planned on attending. That would just be so uncomfortable.

“I’m not going to drink,” Mokuba laughed. He grabbed a stick of yakitori and chewed at the end. It looked like duck liver. “I came early. Seto had a date with the bimbo of the month, so I wasn’t going to interrupt him.”

“You could always find some girl of your own,” Jonouchi teased. “Start going on awful dates yourself.”

“I’m not subjecting myself to that yet,” Mokuba answered with a smile. “It’s not that girls are awful, but I’m too busy for dating. Seto only does it because he doesn’t care enough to not half-ass his pretend relationship.”

“How do you know it’s pretend?” Jonouchi asked.

He knew he was asking a personal question, that he had no right to ask (at least in Mokuba’s perspective), but the kid didn’t seem deterred from answering. If anything, his eyes light up from the inquiry.

“Because he never takes her home,” Mokuba snorted. “I know him well.”

Quieted by the answer, Jonouchi grabbed a glass of beer and drank so Mokuba couldn’t read his facial expression. Akikio had never seen Kaiba’s apartment? He didn’t know if he should even feel anything, having that kind of knowledge. It seemed odd to date someone but not bring them home, but Kaiba was always strange.

And secretive.

The more Jonouchi thought about it, the more it made sense that Kaiba would not bring Akikio home. He didn’t like the idea of Jonouchi overstaying his welcome after sex, so why would he want some chick he couldn’t even pretend to like hanging around his private space? Or sleeping in his bed?

Maybe Jonouchi was thinking too deeply into it.

His thoughts were interrupted when Kaiba did finally appear, alone and wearing a sports jacket. Kaiba glanced at Jonouchi first, a frown on his face, before his eyes trailed over to Mokuba. Instead of looking concerned, Mokuba seemed amused by Kaiba’s disapproving look.

“Are you trying to start a feud with him?” Jonouchi mumbled under his breath. “He looks like he’s about to toss one of us out of the room.”

“Well, I know it won’t be me,” Mokuba snickered. “‘I’m not trying to make him angry, by the way. I’m just trying to assert my independence.”

“Maybe you should do that not right next to me.”

Jonouchi grabbed another glass of beer. Suzuki was laughing next to him, caught in conversation with one of the girls who worked at the front desk. Jonouchi frowned as he saw Kaiba from the corner of his eyes take a seat next to Mokuba. Now he was in earshot.

It was easier to ignore Kaiba’s presence when Jonouchi concerned himself with enjoying the booze and food. It wasn’t free, and he’d paid into it. He wasn’t going to hold back. Karaage made a suitable distraction as Jonouchi only heard bits and pieces of the conversation next to him, Mokuba’s voice low and words respectful yet firm while Kaiba continued to speak abrasively.

“When do you think you’ll be ready to come to America, Jonouchi?” asked Mokuba out of the blue. “You seemed comfortable and competent at your job today.”

He’d nearly choked.

“I thought I was,” Jonouchi replied back. Kaiba’s eyes narrowed minutely. “I think I still have a few months left of probation.”

“There’s no reason why you can’t train in California,” Mokuba interjected. “You got the hardest part down. You can’t just teach someone to duel, they have to have it in their heart to play like you do.”

“Don’t flatter him so much,” Kaiba interrupted, but Mokuba didn’t even acknowledge the statement.

“We could have started Jonouchi’s career already if you weren’t so bigoted,” Mokuba remarked directly at Kaiba.

This felt like a good time to go disappear. Jonouchi did not want to get caught between them, and he already felt like some pawn piece on Mokuba’s chess board. If Mokuba wasn’t careful, Kaiba was going to knock him straight off the board.

“This isn’t the place for that conversation again,” Kaiba replied back quickly. “We’ll continue it another time.”

“Good,” Mokuba agreed. “Because I didn’t walk out today. You did.”

Jonouchi slumped in his seat. Thank god everyone else was drunk. Hell, thank god he was slightly intoxicated. The buzz wasn’t the best, but the fog in his brain kept him from gawking at Mokuba’s remarks. He was so brazen, more than Jonouchi had ever seen. Maybe because Kaiba was drinking and this was the time to air grievances. Jonouchi had never seen Mokuba talk back to his brother like that. Ever.

There was no one in conversational range to talk to. Getting up, Jonouchi managed not to stumble, and he quickly took his leave before anything else could get weird. He gave Mokuba quick thumbs up, just to be friendly, and then found a cab ride home.

Thankfully, Hirutani was nowhere in sight of his apartment building. Jonouchi rested easy.

* * *

The day after an enkai was always quiet. Jonouchi didn’t have the unfortunate experience of nursing a headache that morning, but he did find himself more tired than usual. He hadn’t stayed very long at the party, but he’d been there long enough to take in and still remember clearly the events of the night. Namely, Mokuba’s aggressive heckling of his brother.

Mokuba wasn’t around that morning, but Jonouchi noticed when Kaiba arrived early. He looked the same, was always, well-dressed and polished. Just, instead of just overlooking Jonouchi’s station like he usually did, he turned his head and glared at Jonouchi openly before heading to his office.

How could he have the energy to be mad at him first thing in the morning? Jonouchi frowned as he turned his head to look down the hallway, but he knew Kaiba was already out of sight. The double doors were shut, and even Suzuki looked kinda startled as he came around to linger.

“You look alert today,” he teased. When Jonouchi looked up, Suzuki was smiling, his mouth showing tiny little aging lines while his eyes lit up. He was always so damn happy. “What did you do to upset Kaiba-sama so early in the day?”

“Exist? Like I have any idea,” Jonouchi joked. He did, but he wasn’t going to spill. “Maybe he got sick of me.”

“I thought you did a good job at the conference,” Suzuki marvelled. “Overall, at least. You could have looked a tad more happy to be there.”

“It was so boring,” Jonouchi said in an exaggerated tone. “I almost fell asleep at least three times during the panels.”

“That’s normal,” Suzuki replied. “I passed out during my first one.”

They hadn’t been paying attention when Kaiba sneaked up on them, his eyes glancing from Suzuki (who promptly shut his mouth) to Jonouchi before he decided to speak.

“You,” he directed, “In my office.”

Kaiba made a quick exit afterward, leaving Jonouchi to stand there in confusion as Suzuki looked at him in shock. His heart nearly leapt out of his throat. He had no idea Kaiba could walk so damn quietly. Jonouchi watched him retreat back to his office, eyebrows furrowing, while Suzuki stood there stunned in silence.

“I think he might actually fire me,” Jonouchi laughed nervously. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“I don’t think so,” Suzuki disagreed. “Maybe he’s having a bad morning.”

“Every morning is a bad morning to him,” joked Jonouchi. “Oh well. This job wasn’t bound to last, anyway.”

He honestly couldn’t think of anything he’d done wrong in the past few weeks, except maybe allowing Mokuba to talk to him. That was it. The kid’s influence was heavy in the office, and it seemed like Kaiba became even more on edge when his brother was hanging around. Mokuba hadn’t shown up yet, but Jonouchi didn’t doubt that he would sometime that day before the work day was over. He seemed preoccupied with giving Kaiba a hard time.

Maybe he was trying to keep Kaiba on his toes.

Not even bothering to knock, Jonouchi opened the door into Kaiba’s office and went inside, closing it quietly behind him. Kaiba was sitting straight in his chair, in front of his computer. His eyes were glued to the screen. He wore a tense facial expression, and when his eyes did finally look up, Jonouchi felt his stomach flop down to the soles of his feet.

“Take a seat.”

Not wanting to argue, Jonouchi did so. It was uncomfortable, to say the least, but he wasn’t going to complain.

“Mokuba wants to cut your probation period short,” Kaiba began in his usual neutral tone, “Something I told him could not be done. It’s against company policy, for employees who are potentially being moved overseas. You still want to leave, don’t you?”

“Of course,” Jonouchi answered. Maybe he was a tad too enthusiastic in his answer, because Kaiba’s face soured even more in response to hearing his words. “I want to duel.”

“You don’t like your job here?” Kaiba asked. It sounded like a trick question.

“I don’t do my job here,” Jonouchi argued. “I run errands all day as busy work. And you gave all my complicated tasks over to Suzuki-sama.”

“He’s not complaining over it.”

“I’m complaining over it,” Jonouchi replied. “It wasn’t like I was messing up my job.”

“We discussed this already,” Kaiba started, but Jonouchi decided to cut him off.

“You’re doing this because of what happened at the conference,” Jonouchi argued. “This all has to do with that night, which I know now was a huge mistake.

“Why did you summon me here?”

“I’m considering moving you to another department,” Kaiba remarked, “Somewhere more suited for someone of your qualifications.”

“I do my job, and I do it well,” Jonouchi began to argue again, “I’m not moving because you feel weird about us having had sex. Again. Screw that, you can get over it. I’m staying where I am. You didn’t give a shit about my qualifications before.”

“You don’t make the decisions here,” Kaiba barked back.

They glared at each other from across the desk before Jonouchi finally looked away. It wasn’t like he was giving up, but he couldn’t stare Kaiba in the eyes for too long before losing some of his nerve. They were way too intense. And blue. It felt like being examined from the inside out.

“I’m not going to be moved because you find my presence now to be an inconvenience to you,” Jonouchi announced. “I’m sick of pretending like it didn’t happen. Or having you glare at me like I stink of shit or something. I haven’t done anything wrong to you. I’m not going to be some whipping boy for your feelings.”

He took a quick inhale of air before continuing.

“I want to talk about it.”

“We’re not discussing it in my office,” Kaiba began, but Jonouchi wasn’t going to listen to him.

He was just acting afraid again. For someone usually so confident in himself, Kaiba had no stomach for exposing his true feelings. Jonouchi could understand why he behaved that way (they weren’t always so different, really) but he still found it incredibly frustrating. Jonouchi no longer wanted to humor him by acting compliant and pretending like he didn’t care about him. Kaiba would have to find a way to get over himself.

“Then figure out some place where we can,” Jonouchi replied. “I don’t care where. But it needs to happen soon.

“And I’m not moving departments. I refuse.”

Kaiba’s mouth was tight with apparent dissatisfaction, but he at least looked more relaxed now in his eyes. He wasn’t glaring anymore. Maybe he respected Jonouchi’s resolve. Or was just too tired to argue with him any longer.

“Fine,” he answered. “I don’t see why you’d even want to stay here but if this is the cage you want, you can have it. Tell Suzuki that you’re taking back all your old responsibilities. And then go get me some more coffee.”

Jonouchi just nodded his head, fighting back the urge to smirk as he jumped to his feet.

* * *

It was mid afternoon when Jonouchi was released from work, and he felt almost uplifted as he made his way from the train stop to his apartment building. Despite his confrontation with Kaiba, his day had been good. So good, in fact, Asato even complimented him. Although she wasn’t mean, she rarely voiced her approval. Even Suzuki seemed surprised.

Successfully standing up to Kaiba had felt exhilarating. Jonouchi wasn’t sure if he’d be able to ever do it again without coming out burned, but it felt so satisfying to finally defend himself. Maybe Kaiba felt nervous about their sexual relationship and was afraid Jonouchi might leak it out if he didn’t concede. Jonouchi didn’t know. He didn’t care, either. All he cared about at that moment was keeping his job and getting Kaiba to open up... at some point.

What was Jonouchi even going to say about the sex? It felt weird to think about, when he actually replayed the events in his head. He’d enjoyed it, immensely, but more than the sex, he was plagued by the memories of Kaiba’s brief flashes of openness. Those moments where he’d try to reach out were the most difficult to process. That was the thing that made Jonouchi so mad when Kaiba would lash out at him during work.

Why was it so difficult for him to accept Jonouchi's company? It didn’t need to be hard.

Jonouchi felt a hand on his shoulder, and quite suddenly he was swung around until the ugly face of Hirutani was in view.

He was grinning, chewing on a brand new lip piercing while standing there with one hand on his hip. His hair looked newly bleached, despite his eyebrows still being black, and Jonouchi was bothered by how he used to want to look like him. How foolish he’d been as a teenager...

“I paid you on time,” Jonouchi began, “What do you want?”

“Oh, you need to relax, man,” Hirutani laughed. He brought his hands up in front of him like he was pretending to be offended, but there was still a smile on his lips.

“Haven’t seen you in a while,” Hirutani continued. “It’s time we tried mending things between us.”

“I don’t think so,” Jonouchi argued, but Hirutani ignored him, grabbing his arm roughly and pulling him forward. Jonouchi wanted to push back, but he didn’t want to encourage Hirutani to actually do something with the tape he still kept. There was too much at stake, and maybe playing his stupid game would do more good than starting a fight.

“I just want to take us out to dinner,” Hirutani explained. “Like we used to when we were buds. Don’t you remember?”

“I remember,” Jonouchi whispered.

Thankfully Hirutani picked some place close. It was a dingy ramen shop, and the owner seemed anxious when they arrived. Maybe it was because Hirutani looked so damn conspicuous, but maybe also the owner knew who Hirutani was. And what kind of guys he spent time with.

“You haven’t changed all that much,” Hirutani began after they ordered. “Still the same awkward bootlicker I picked up years ago off the streets. New hair and new clothes haven’t changed you much.”

“You barely know me,” Jonouchi replied. He sipped his tea and glared openly at Hirutani. Looking at him was different than looking at Kaiba. He felt no nervousness. Just disdain. His heart didn’t feel like it was going to try running off with him, instead, his gut just felt heavy like he was going to be sick. Contempt was all he could feel.

“I made you,” Hirutani argued. “You might have left to go to that nicer school and got yourself some loser friends, but you’re still the same guy I found in a dump. Just listen to the way you talk,” Hirutani laughed. “Same gutter accent. I bet your father still lives in the same shitty apartments, too.”

Jonouchi wasn’t going to take the bait.

“Why did you take me here?”

Hirutani just smirked.

“Because I can.”

When the food came, Jonouchi couldn’t even taste it. He just forced it down his throat as he ate angrily. His eyes burned holes into his bowl. If the food had been good, he wouldn’t have known. It was tasteless, his anger keeping him from sensing anything besides the man in front of him. Hirutani ate quickly too, thankfully, and he didn’t pay the check.

“We’ll see each other again soon, brother,” Hirutani announced, and he forcibly ruffled Jonouchi’s hair before he could try getting out of the way. His grasp was hard, and it almost hurt but Hirutani had let go quickly enough that Jonouchi didn’t have time to really react to it.

He just glared at him.

And later, on his way home, his stomach flopped a few more times, his scalp still tingling before Jonouchi threw up his entire dinner in an alleyway.

* * *

It was dark. Jonouchi couldn’t see much except for the bright glow of a tv in front of him, although the images were too blurry for him to make out clearly. The sounds were familiar, like some low budget porn he’d watch back in high school, but then he could hear a man vocalizing who wasn’t from the film. Someone Jonouchi knew, his loud breathing and half-choked moans far too close to his ears for comfort.

There was a familiar grip on his head, and Jonouchi tried to push away, but it just forced him back down and up at a steady pace. Something fleshy and hard was in his mouth, and Jonouchi blinked quickly before realizing his face was deep in someone’s groin. There was a taste of salty precum in his mouth, and Jonouchi nearly choked before he felt the dick expand in his mouth, the base twitching before fluid suddenly erupted down his throat...

Sitting up in a panic, Jonouchi found himself surrounded by darkness. He was in his own bed, at his apartment, alone. The memories of Hirutani still played, but there was also loud knocking on his door. Jonouchi didn’t think he could just lie down and ignore it. It was a brief loud set of knocks, and when Jonouchi didn’t get up right away, it started up again twice as loud.

Groaning, Jonouchi got up. He was just wearing boxers and a t-shirt, and he shuffled his feet over to the door before checking the peephole. He didn’t know who he was expecting to see, but certainly it wasn’t the person who actually was there.

He opened the door to see Kaiba standing before him, appearing irritated and wearing casual clothes. Jonouchi just stared at him silently, his eyes trailing over his face before they glanced down at his clothes, taking in the sight of him in just a black t-shirt and jeans before looking back up at his face. His face felt like it was beginning to burn up and Jonouchi tried to think of something to say.

This wasn’t a scenario he ever expected to happen.

“You wanted to discuss things, didn’t you?” Kaiba began. “You said you didn’t care where, so I chose here.”

“I see that,” Jonouchi replied. He felt unsure about this, but he couldn’t complain about Kaiba finally prioritizing them. Despite feeling victorious earlier that morning, Jonouchi hadn’t expected Kaiba to make the effort to discuss things, given his avoidant nature. “... I’m glad you came.”

He moved out of the way and watched Kaiba walk inside. His dark blue eyes examined everything, looking over Jonouchi’s plain walls and cheap furniture. Thankfully, it wasn’t a judgmental kind of look. Not that Kaiba had any right to judge, since he was paying Jonouchi’s salary (which was good enough to be comfortable with but not lucrative by any means). Maybe he was just curious.

Kaiba’s eyes lit up when he saw Jonouchi’s duel disk sitting on a display stand near his bed. Jonouchi didn’t have much. It was one of the only things he owned of value. Of course Kaiba would take notice, since he invented the damn thing...

They both took seats in the room. Thank god Kaiba sat on the couch Jonouchi had positioned against the “living room” wall. He didn’t want Kaiba sitting on his bed (too weird, given everything going on between them) and there weren't many places for anyone to sit in Jonouchi’s studio. His bed, a full, was tucked in the corner, and while it would have made a comfortable place to sit, Jonouchi instead sat on a stool that stood next to the counter island of his tiny kitchen.

“Let me begin by saying that I don’t think what we’re doing is a big deal at all,” Kaiba declared. “You and I agreed to this... arrangement. You said you didn’t care.”

“Well, I was lying,” Jonouchi admitted. “To myself, mainly. I do care. And you knew that.” He paused as the night at the hotel replayed in his head. “I would have said anything to keep you from leaving me that night.”

“Why?” Kaiba asked. “It shouldn’t matter to you what I choose to do.”

“Yes it should. It's frustrating watching you continually lose faith in humanity because you assume the worst of people,” Jonouchi said, and the words made him feel sad. Kaiba’s face frowned but he didn’t reply. “If people just leave you, then you have no reason to try trusting them again. I’m not gonna give you a chance to do that to me. I’m not going to prove some dumb point you’re trying to make about people to yourself.”

“You read into everything too much,” Kaiba declared with a wave of his hand. “You’re trying to psychoanalyze me again.”

“Don’t blow off my point,” Jonouchi argued. “Yeah, I might be analyzing you some, but don’t act like you don’t do it back. You study me all the time.”

Kaiba’s face was neutral except for his mouth. Jonouchi noticed how tight his jaw was. Which meant no matter how “relaxed” he was trying to seem, Kaiba was actually really tense. He was just good at hiding it.

“Let me be frank about something,” Jonouchi continued. “I like having sex with you. That doesn’t bother me. But I’m not gonna continue this thing if you keep pretending like we don’t know each other whenever you see me in public. Or keep glaring at me during work because of some slight you made up in your head. It’s exhausting. I don’t even know sometimes what you want from me.”

“I don’t want anything,” Kaiba stressed. “I never asked anything of you.”

“You don’t ask, but you certainly want something,” Jonouchi pointed out. “You have your moments, Kaiba. You try to keep them at bay, but you do care and want something more of me besides sex.”

“Oh?” laughed Kaiba. “Something more like what?”

His tone was slightly mocking. Like he was fucking amused. Jonouchi felt his face warming up again from indignation.

“Oh, I don't know, something. You wanted me to have breakfast with you during the conference trip after our hook up,” Jonouchi pointed out. “Alone. You’ve said time and time before that you don’t want anything to do with your employees on any kind of personal level, but you wanted me to spend time with you one on one. When I brought up inviting Suzuki, you got pissed.”

“I’m not required to want to spend time with him,” Kaiba declared. “Especially since you make doe eyes at him whenever he’s in your presence.”

Jonouchi decided to ignore the remark. Kaiba was being petty. And probably jealous, too. It wasn’t at all surprising. Suzuki was a likable guy, and Jonouchi didn’t hide his attraction to him well. He couldn't help but openly admire him, which Kaiba probably read as sexual interest. It wasn’t his problem that Kaiba decided to remain emotionally stunted and angry at the world. Jonouchi wasn't going to follow his steely example about not showing affection towards people he liked. That kind of ridiculous behavior wasn't helping Kaiba at all.

“That’s besides the point,” Jonouchi continued. “You say you’re just lonely or whatever, but we both know it’s more than that. It would be easier on us both if you’d just stop lying about it. If it was just sheer loneliness, you’d spend more time fucking your girlfriend.”

“Don’t bring her into it,” Kaiba sighed. He looked even more disgruntled now. It made Jonouchi smirk. Even if this made Kaiba uncomfortable, he was at least getting his feelings off his chest.

“Why not? I have to see her all the time, and she probably doesn’t even know you’re cheating on her, right?” said Jonouchi. “I highly doubt you two have a chaste relationship.”

“We’re not intimate anymore,” Kaiba argued. “It doesn’t matter. She’s not with me because she likes me. We had an arrangement.”

“Yeah? Well, I’m not going to be some other ‘arrangement’ for you anymore,” Jonouchi decided. “I’m not going to fuck around with you and then let you treat me like I’m offensive to you the next day...”

“You rejected me,” Kaiba seethed. “You’re just as guilty of being cold as I am.”

“The difference is though, I’m not trying to be,” Jonouchi argued. “I even tried to apologize for that, and you slammed a door in my face... You could at least try to meet me halfway.”

Kaiba got up from his seat. Jonouchi wondered if he was just going to take off now, because he didn’t like where the conversation was going, but instead Kaiba just stood directly in front of him, his eyes piercing and face unreadable. Jonouchi leaned back against the counter that stood against him when Kaiba approached him. He felt very trapped when Kaiba’s hands held onto the edges of the counter, Jonouchi sitting right between them. He couldn’t look away from Kaiba’s gaze even if he wanted to. They were very close now. Jonouchi could even make out the faint dusting of freckles on Kaiba’s nose, he was so close.

“I’m meeting you halfway now,” said Kaiba. Jonouchi rolled his eyes. That definitely wasn’t what he meant. “Is this what you want?"

“No, this isn’t what I want,” Jonouchi pointed out. He felt flustered. It was hard to stay focused on being angry while his personal space was actively being invaded by someone he found sexually alluring. Normally it would have been welcomed, but he wanted to be stubborn. Kaiba always had a strange influence over him, radiating a kind of energy that made Jonouchi want to comply with him.

Then Kaiba kissed him. It really was not expected, despite the proximity. Jonouchi felt slightly stunned as he held onto Kaiba’s shoulders awkwardly for support. Kaiba was pressing a thumb against his lower lip, and Jonouchi gave to him compliantly but then he felt a twinge of anger overcome his senses. Pulling back, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before pushing Kaiba away.

“I’m not gonna fool around with you again until we talk this out,” Jonouchi complained. “Don’t distract me.”

“If you can’t handle our original agreement, I’ll gladly end it,” Kaiba spoke up. “It’s been nothing but a source of distress for you. It would be easier for us both if we ended it. I’m not going to get wrapped up in some emotional drama with you over casual sex.”

“Wouldn’t want to test that well-fortified wall of yours, huh?” Jonouchi mocked.

Kaiba scowled as he pulled away.

“That’s enough discussion for tonight,” Kaiba declared in a restricted voice. “I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”

He left the apartment, leaving Jonouchi fuming.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slight pause in updating, I've been trying to juggle a lot of projects. I thought I was finally done updating and editing my old story Ambivalence on FF only to find out that I never fixed earlier chapters... so now I have to look back again. I'm very frustrated because I'm two chapters away from being finished with Part One and I've been working on that story for literally even years... The entire thing is done, but I don't like posting stuff until it's near perfect. 
> 
> Ah well. Please enjoy.

After picking up two cups of coffee from a shop near the office, Jonouchi arrived at Kaiba Corporation early. He still felt a little tired, not having slept well the night before, but he didn't show it on his face. Although his brain had felt a little foggy when he rolled out of bed, alertness returned to him once he was standing outside of Kaiba Corporation’s double doors.

The conversation he’d had with Kaiba still replayed in his mind, even hours after it was finished. He couldn’t believe it. Even after the surprise of Kaiba coming to him, a miracle in itself, and them discussing everything that had happened between them, they still weren’t at any kind of mutual agreement. It nagged at Jonouchi the entire night, that all they’d done was create more miscommunication between them.

Not even miscommunication. Jonouchi understood Kaiba’s intentions. As long as he didn’t share his true feelings, he wouldn’t have to take any responsibility for anything happening between them. It was an easy attitude to adopt, and Jonouchi didn’t want to take the risk of being hurt by Kaiba either. Considering who he was dealing with, it was probably even advisable to just end things already. Kaiba had bruised him up plenty of times, back when they were teenagers.

It wasn’t unlikely now, even as adults, that Kaiba wouldn’t find some way to do it again. Especially if he felt angry or threatened.

Jonouchi shook his head. Why did he have to be so attracted to someone so damn dysfunctional?

Juggling the coffees, he crossed the foyer of the main floor and took the executive elevator up to his floor. It was glass, and Jonouchi routinely faced the door lest he get vertigo. He hated watching the floors pass by, and he closed his eyes for a moment until he reached his destination.

There wasn’t anyone around. The area was still dim with the lights turned off, and Jonouchi hoped wishfully that Kaiba wouldn’t have arrived yet. Sometimes he was late but usually he was right on time. He never really came super early though (since Kaiba usually was the last person to leave), but when Jonouchi gathered the day planner and went into the office to check, Kaiba was standing by his large window gazing at the scenery with his arms folded across his chest.

Jonouchi opened his mouth to speak but he couldn’t find the words to say something smart. Silently, he placed the planner on Kaiba’s desk before beginning to set the coffee down. He didn’t hear Kaiba approaching, and when he looked up from what he was doing, he still had his hand on the cup while Kaiba grabbed for it. His hand tingled sharply at contact; Jonouchi withdrew it so fast, the coffee cup slipped out of Kaiba’s hands and came crashing down on his desk instead.

Shittt...

“I am so sorry-” Jonouchi began to apologize, but Kaiba only waved his wet hand in dismissal before taking a step back.

“Just take care of the spill,” Kaiba interrupted.

His face was still composed mostly, except for his slightly frazzled eyes. Jonouchi could feel his face burning. He wished he could stick it in ice water at that moment and scream.

“I have a meeting to prepare for,” Kaiba continued. “Make sure to stay away from Mokuba today.”

‘Stay away from Mokuba?’ thought Jonouchi.

He knew better than to question the request. At least Kaiba hadn’t barked it at him. That was a slight improvement, considering everything happening between them.

Jonouchi looked down and sighed. Kaiba’s desk was covered with coffee and the planner was slightly ruined. He carefully took things off his desk and grabbed some napkins from the coffee room before trying to save whatever he could. Thankfully, Kaiba kept things neat and even his electronics had been saved. The only thing that had been really damaged was a collection of print outs Suzuki had given Kaiba the day before.

He’d just have to reprint them.

Honestly, Jonouchi was surprised Kaiba didn’t just go off on him. He doubted Kaiba blamed himself for the accident, but if Jonouchi had done that weeks previously, he would have found Kaiba’s foot up his ass and his sorry hide being flung halfway across the room. It was what he’d anticipated. Kaiba had never been the forgiving type. It wasn’t uncommon for him to fly off the handle when someone fucked up majorly within his vicinity.

Maybe he’d felt something too.

Eh. Better to not think that. Jonouchi found his hands burning slightly from the hot coffee and after cleaning the desk as best he could, he took the time to also wipe down the objects that had been touched. He was so diligent, he hadn’t noticed another human being walking into the room and it didn’t occur to him that someone else was watching until he nearly ran head first into Mokuba.

“Oh, uhh...” Jonouchi began.

Mokuba blinked at him. Jonouchi felt the awkwardness quickly return.

“Your brother left to prepare for a meeting,” Jonouchi babbled. “He went a few minutes ago, if you want to catch up with him.”

“I don’t think there’s a meeting on the schedule,” Mokuba laughed. “Did you see something added on today?”

Errr... “He said there was,” Jonouchi replied back.

Dammit, he couldn’t actually remember. So much for being efficient at his job. Suzuki and Asato would know but Jonouchi could only remember touching Kaiba’s stupid hand and dumping coffee on his table, that was it. Any memory of working on the daily planner the night before was gone.

“I can check his planner for you,” Jonouchi offered.

Mokuba shook his head in reply. “No need, I’ll find him easily. There’s only a few places he ever goes, really, when he disappears. Nii-sama is very predictable.”

His smile was humored, like he knew something Jonouchi didn’t. Wrinkling his nose, Jonouchi did not reply.

“What did you do to his desk?” Mokuba asked.

“Oh,” Jonouchi answered. “I spilled coffee on it.”

He wasn’t supposed to be talking to Mokuba. Should he try to leave? Or would Mokuba become offended? Or realize something was going on?

“Then he just left afterwards?” asked Mokuba incredulously.

“Yeah, he did.”

Mokuba laughed loudly before taking a step forward to examine the furniture. He seemed pleased with the clean up but he was still laughing obnoxiously at Jonouchi’s bad fortune. After picking up and examining Kaiba’s now slightly coffee stained planner, he finally set it down and snorted.

“How did you avoid getting fired?” Mokuba amused. “Or are you fired and just calm about it?”

“I’m not fired,” Jonouchi bit back.

He didn’t want Kaiba walking in on them. The discomfort was building. He really needed to leave before Mokuba got too nosy.

“It was an accident and not entirely my fault. We both got startled.”

At this moment, Jonouchi wished Mokuba was just eleven again and not his employer.

“I need to get started on the rest of my day,” Jonouchi tried saying, and Mokuba just gave him a slightly peeved look.

He seemed aware that Jonouchi was trying to go scarce.

“Good luck finding your brother.”

Rushing to finish the cleaning job, Jonouchi tossed out the rest of the soiled napkins before leaving the room. He tried to walk out calmly, but he was sure that he wasn’t all that relaxed in Mokuba’s eyes. Jonouchi had never been a good actor, and that morning had already left him feeling jumpy and ridiculous. Mokuba’s studious gaze did nothing to quench his anxiety.

Taking a sharp turn once back out in the hallway, Jonouchi snuck into Suzuki’s office. It was still early. People were just starting to appear, and he hoped nobody would notice him loitering when he should be getting started with the rest of his day. Usually that was when he prepped Kaiba with his daily schedule but he wasn’t even around. Waiting around in his office was not an option, and technically avoiding Mokuba was the directive he’d been given that morning.

When Suzuki came inside, Jonouchi immediately tried to pretend like he was doing something productive.

“Did Asato plan for us to have a meeting?” He’d asked.

Jonouchi wished. That would have been a great excuse to hide in his office.

“Umm, no,” he began. “

“So,” Suzuki laughed, “What are you doing?”

Jonouchi blinked. He felt foolish.

“I just wanted to see if you had something I needed,” Jonouchi lied, “That’s all. I was just about to leave.”

Walking out of Suzuki’s office, Jonouchi felt his eyes on his back before he went to his desk and sat down. Thankfully, Mokuba was gone. It was a close call. Thank god Suzuki was so laid back, or else he might have actually gotten in trouble.

* * *

Kaiba always had a soft spot for the Research and Development Department of Kaiba Corporation. Even as a young kid, he’d been interested in it. Not all of Gozaburo’s original work were death machines; some actually advanced and pushed the limits of technology. The young Seto never had a taste for weapons or the military but he did appreciate aeronautics. The engineering that went into creating a fighter jet or attack helicopter was extraordinary. They didn’t have to be used just for violence...

Often, Seto would sneak down into the labs, begging to look at blueprints so he could make his own modifications.

It had been a childhood safe haven.

Now as an adult in charge, Kaiba could rarely afford the time to go down and see his creations. The brand new duel disks he’d designed were in beta, being used by technicians to weed out all the bugs. Most of the inventions were created by full time mechanical engineers but Kaiba tried to still contribute. He didn’t know how to keep himself from being an obnoxious micro manager, and he often worked on his own personal projects at home once he was done with his normal work day.

It wasn’t a surprise when Mokuba found him down there. The kid was well-aware of Kaiba’s hiding spots. Most of Kaiba’s employees didn’t bother themselves often to go looking through the underbelly of Kaiba Corporation so they could find their boss if he wanted to be alone. Only Mokuba did that. He was the only one with the guts to.

Kaiba looked over a pair of virtual reality pods before glancing at his brother quietly.

“Jonouchi said you were preparing for a meeting,” Mokuba reported. “What happened?”

Kaiba turned back to the pods. They were completed but too expensive to replicate. Too dangerous for the public as well, until they could create a safety backup system. Kaiba wondered if they’d ever be used in the parks at all but he still had his dream.

“I lied,” Kaiba admitted. “Nothing happened. Why do you assume something happened because I decided to come down here?”

“You only do that when you’re irritated,” Mokuba pointed out.

He snorted.

“If Jonouchi gets on your nerves, why do you keep him around? You could at least transfer him to a different department. Somewhere out of your sight.”

“I don’t have a problem with him,” Kaiba replied in a neutral tone. “It’s all being handled.”

He grazed his finger against the pod’s glass cover. It felt so cold.

“I find that hard to believe,” laughed Mokuba. “You always had a problem with him. Isn’t that why he’s not in California right now, doing the job he should have rightfully? Why do you keep him around outside of trying to punish him for everything?”

“I don’t need to explain all my actions to you, Mokuba,” Kaiba pointed out sharply. “Sometimes it’s just none of your concern. I want him here. I have the authority to make that call.”

“Only because I supported you in returning to your former position.” Mokuba let out an exasperated sigh. “It’s like that all never happened.”

Kaiba wished he’d just drop the resentment. He had always been the one in charge between them. He was the elder brother. Things always worked that way. Although Mokuba was very gifted and Kaiba had trained him well, he was still a child. A soft-hearted child.

“None of it mattered,” Kaiba argued. “We’ve always supported each other, and I’ve always been in charge. I know you haven’t agreed with all of my decisions but I’ve always made them with the intentions to do what was best for us both-”

“-that’s not true.”

Mokuba’s expression became sour as he folded his hands across his chest.

“Leaving to fight Atem had everything to do with you and your vendettas. You didn’t think about me or the company. We all came in second place to what you really wanted.”

“Which was what?” Kaiba snarled. “Please enlighten me, since you seem to think you understand me better than my own self.”

“A chance to fight Gozaburo again,” Mokuba argued. “That’s what it has always been about. He’s dead and you can’t get past that so you conceive him in every challenger and obstacle that stands in your way.

"Especially while fighting Atem. It’s always been about fighting the past with you. I wish you’d just let it go already..”

Mokuba was noticeably trembling. Kaiba couldn’t look at him; his eyes stayed focused on glaring at the wall to his right side. He felt like he was burning holes into the cement bricks. His chest felt tight and it took him a moment before he could finally breathe again.

“I shouldn’t have brought him up,” Mokuba backtracked. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” Kaiba answered quietly.

Most of his anger dissipated years ago but sometimes he still felt an inner rage come over him whenever he thought about the old man. The heavy smell of cigars. Or seeing a certain shade of red, or style of facial hair. It wasn’t even Gozaburo’s treatment of Seto that made him so angry.

It was the look in his eyes. The contempt. It was the silent acknowledgement that proved Gozaburo knew that Seto was more intelligent than him... and that he’d forever hate him for it. Nothing Seto did would ever be enough. He would always be hated for being smarter. For beating him.

Forever punished over a damn chess game.

“But Nii-sama, please tell me the truth,” Mokuba pleaded. “Why won’t you let Jonouchi come back with me? He was my investment. I can’t duel like you. I can’t play professionally. All I can do is support the careers of others.”

“I don’t hold him back to spite you,” Kaiba answered. “I just don’t think he’s good enough for you.”

“You should have learned to trust my judgement by now,” said Mokuba. “I know you don’t believe that. You’ve seen how he duels. A lot has changed since you played professionally.”

“Well, maybe I need him here,” Kaiba tried to argue instead. “He’s already trained in his work. There’s plenty of American duelists to sponsor and I do not want to waste time looking for another assistant who is tough enough not to break into tears every time I look at them the wrong way.”

“You could have anyone else, Seto.”

Kaiba stopped himself from shrugging but he felt what he couldn’t act out physically. He wanted the fight to end. He wanted Mokuba to just leave things alone.

“I could but I already made my decision.”

“There has to be another reason why you won’t give him up," Mokuba argued. "You can barely stand him."

Kaiba gave him the side eye but it was already too late. Mokuba looked more disgruntled, if that was even possible. His mouth was tight and his eyebrows were crossed. It was almost like looking into a mirror.

“You’re being possessive and you have no right to be,” Mokuba began. “Jonouchi doesn’t even want to be here. I could get someone else to help you, Nii-sama. Someone twice as competent with corporate experience.”

“I’m not looking for some replacement assistant right now,” Kaiba balked.

His eyes twitched. Mokuba was peering deep into them. It was like staring into his own reflection. It was difficult to keep things from him.

“What about Suzuki? He can do Jonouchi’s work."

“I need three assistants, Mokuba. It’s been that way since the beginning. Suzuki can’t replace the work of Jonouchi and juggle his own duties, you should understand that.”

Mokuba appeared exasperated. If Kaiba was lucky, he’d just tire out and stop carrying on this argument any longer but he had a feeling that his wish wasn’t going to come true. If anything, Mokuba was just going to double down on getting to the bottom of it. Something Kaiba really did not want happening. Even if his brother wasn’t ignorant of his more liberal sexual tastes, he didn’t want to expose himself to Mokuba’s judgement either.

He didn’t care about his brother knowing that he liked to fuck men. No, Mokuba didn’t care a lick about any of that and he’d figured that out years ago already. He probably wouldn’t even care much about Kaiba cheating on his professional girlfriend considering how disapproving the country was about openly homosexual relationships. No, Mokuba would be disappointed in Kaiba betraying his principles... by carrying on an illicit relationship with an employee.

An employee he'd known since childhood. An employee Mokuba was long time friends with.

There was also the fact that Kaiba had not only hid it from him, but also lied about it.

“I could understand that, if you were behaving logically,” Mokuba continued. “There’s nothing logical about keeping Jonouchi here. He’s not qualified to be in his current position, he doesn't even have a college degree or any training certifications. He’s a duelist, not a secretary. You are under utilizing him in a position he has no right to be in and you must have some other reason for being so invested in him staying near you.

“Did something happen between you two I’m not aware of?” Mokuba began to question.

His eyes were focused on Kaiba’s face and Kaiba tried his best not to give himself away. He hated lying to his brother. He didn’t want to be dishonest but he didn’t feel like he had much of a choice but to be.

“I don’t know what you are trying to insinuate-” Kaiba started, but he was sharply cut off by Mokuba.

“-Look Seto, we both know you don’t like Tanaka Akikio all that much and you’ve always been more partial towards men than women. Do you like Jonouchi now? I noticed how weird you two act together. Did you try to make a pass at him?”

“I don’t keep Jonouchi here because he’s attractive looking,” Kaiba tried to answer but Mokuba continued speaking over him.

He was losing ground quickly, Mokuba had caught onto something and it was now too late.

“-Are you punishing him because he rejected you?” Mokuba accused. “That’s really low of you if that’s what this is all about.”

“He didn’t reject me,” Kaiba answered in a low and controlled voice. “He’s not half as indifferent to me as he likes you to believe he is,” Kaiba continued, “We’re both getting something that we want from each other. And before you chastise me about it, yes, I know I shouldn’t be sleeping with a subordinate. It only happened twice.”

It felt better getting it out. Mokuba had sighed as Kaiba admitted the truth aloud, the disappointment deafening to Kaiba’s ears. He wasn’t embarrassed about the sex but he was ashamed to be keeping it a secret. As if it was possible to hide anything from Mokuba. He always found out everything, at the end.

“Twice with Jonouchi? I’m glad you told the truth finally,” Mokuba answered. “I’m sure it was difficult for you to admit. I knew there was a reason why you both were acting weird around each other. The tension between you two is palpable, I could feel it the moment I got here.”

“Jonouchi is just being overly dramatic,” Kaiba argued, “You have no reason to worry, it’s not going to change anything. He can still go to California when he finishes his probationary period.”

“You still care so little about him, huh?” Mokuba answered back sharply, “You should have just left him alone. You could have anyone else, you know.”

Turning away, Kaiba could see Mokuba shaking his head from the corner of his eyes before leaving the room. He hated feeling like Mokuba was disappointed in him, it was the worst thing imaginable to him. It honestly didn’t matter much to Kaiba if other people liked him or respected him, he didn’t care about the opinions of sheep but any sense that Mokuba might be losing faith in him was enough to send him spiraling into self-doubt.

He didn’t want to give up Jonouchi yet either but Mokuba was right. Kaiba didn’t need him. Not professionally, at least. Jonouchi wasn’t made to work in an office environment and take orders from corporate types. He’d always been an outspoken fighter, a rebellious powder keg. There was no controlling him, no matter how hard Kaiba tried to.

If he wanted things to ever become resolved between himself and Mokuba, he’d have to eventually concede to his requests. Mokuba was a forgiving brother but he never forgot any trespass Kaiba committed, either. He wasn’t going to drop the issue. It was why he’d come back to Japan, after all.

The last thing Kaiba wanted, after everything that had happened to him recently, was to be at war with his brother.

* * *

Jonouchi stayed at his desk all morning, lest he get trapped in some place by Mokuba since the younger Kaiba was still hanging around the building. The day was going by slowly and quietly. Kaiba Seto had returned to his office once the work day began and hadn’t left since.

To Jonouchi’s relief, Mokuba stayed out of his office, as if they were at some kind of truce. Surprisingly, Mokuba did not show up again at the executive level at all. The only reason why he knew Mokuba was still there at all was because Suzuki had seen him at another lower department while running errands for Kaiba.

He didn’t want to get caught between the brothers again. It was nearly impossible to keep a straight face around Kaiba, and Mokuba’s inquisitiveness just made things worse. If he started asking questions, Jonouchi wasn’t sure he’d be able to lie to him. He certainly didn’t want to.

Besides, their sibling feud wasn’t something he wanted to be a part of.

Paperwork was boring but after all the craziness erupting around him, doing something normal and away from the Kaiba brothers was appealing. Jonouchi didn’t have to think while reading over Kaiba’s weekly schedule and he could happily zone out while looking over Asato’s proposed memo corrections. It was monotonous work but exactly what Jonouchi needed while looking to escape the anxiousness brought on by Mokuba’s visit.

It was around his lunch break when a familiar figure appeared in the office, looking all over before smiling at the sight of Jonouchi.

“There you are!” declared Tanaka, “I tried calling Seto-kun today but he ignored my calls. Thank goodness for text, right?”

Seto-kun? Jonouchi inwardly cringed. He understood that Tanaka was Kaiba’s technical girlfriend but it still bothered him that she spoke so informally in regards to him. It didn’t feel right. They barely knew each other, and even if Kaiba had been seeing her before, it wasn’t like they were actually in love.

Maybe he was being way too prissy about this. Tanaka probably meant nothing by it.

“Let’s go shopping,” she continued, “I need a new dress for an event coming up back at home. Maybe if we find something nice enough, I can entice Seto-kun to come to Singapore with me.”

“You’d probably do better seducing him with duel monster cards,” replied Jonouchi a tad curtly.

Tanaka broke into a fit of giggles and Jonouchi immediately felt bad about the comment. Sure, she was laughing at the joke but the joke was at her expense and she hadn’t realized it. As if Kaiba was going to be convinced to do anything by that girl wearing a sexy dress.

“Go get the card,” Tanaka ordered, “I’ll meet you at my car.”

Sighing, Jonouchi got his papers together before putting them away. Thankfully, most of the work was done and could be put in his outbox. He was just annoyed that he was about to waste an entire afternoon shopping with a woman his boss didn’t care one iota about anymore.

She might not even be aware yet. He’d told him that they weren’t intimate any longer. Jonouchi felt bad about potentially being the cause of their future break up, but then again, it wasn’t like Tanaka was dating Kaiba out of real interest. She was a lot like Mai, in so many ways. Glamorous, funny, beautiful... and shallow.

Kaiba was an attractive meal ticket. There was probably not much else deeper to it.

They went to Daimaru and Tanaka made sure to get as many sales ladies on her side to find a dress as was available that afternoon. It was incredible. She seemed to have formed an evening wear army, the ladies scoping through dresses while Tanaka stood there judging them before trying them on.

It was incredibly boring. No wonder Kaiba dumped his boyfriend duties on his assistants, Tanaka had a one-track mind while shopping and seemed almost aggressive towards the sales women when voicing her opinions. Despite being extremely beautiful, in an artificial sort of way, Jonouchi found her attitude fairly unappealing. This outing wasn’t as light hearted as the last one when she’d bought the over priced bag, this time it seemed like she was truly on a mission.

Tanaka decided upon a black Tadashi Shoji crepe dress. It was revealing around the breasts, with an elegant side cut that exposed her leg from the upper thigh down. It looked great on Tanaka, she had a marvelous body, lean yet curvy, but Jonouchi doubted the dress would spark whatever passions Tanaka was hoping for.

“What do you think Jonouchi? Do you like it?” Tanaka asked.

She twirled around in it, showing off the low back and exposed shoulders, her hair bouncing at the ends.

“You look like a movie star,” Jonouchi remarked. “It’s a nice dress.”

“But do you think it’s the best dress?” Tanaka held her sides before moving the lower skirt around. “This is a big thing I’m going to, my father will be there presenting and I want to get Seto-kun to go. He’s always so elusive, it’s hard to get him to stick to plans and I want him to go to this party with me.”

“Is it that serious?” Jonouchi asked before he could stop the words from coming out of his mouth.

“Serious enough,” Tanaka continued, “We’ve been together for several months and he’s never even met my father before. What kind of relationship is that?”

Jonouchi didn’t answer. What kind of relationship consisted of a man having another man take his girlfriend on dates? Why wasn’t Tanaka bothered about that? And she had even said Kaiba hung up on her all morning. Seemed well within his character to behave like that yet Tanaka wasn’t even bothered by the rude rejection.

“I’m gonna get him to settle down,” Tanaka continued. “I’m done playing around with boyfriends, I want a secure life and Seto-kun needs someone to take care of him. Have you seen him? He always looks so overworked. I think he needs a wife.”

Jonouchi did what he could to not roll his eyes. Did she think she could save him or something? Or was she just really desperate to marry someone super rich and continue her ridiculous lifestyle? Jonouchi didn’t know and he wasn’t about to ask. The last thing he wanted was for him to ask the wrong question and leave a bad impression on Tanaka. No doubt, she’d complain to Kaiba about him if he said the wrong thing.

She dragged him to a swanky coffee shop for a late afternoon lunch after the shopping trip was over. The one good thing about hanging around Tanaka was the free lunch. He could splurge a little and get something he’d never order on his own since it was expected of him to eat with her wherever she wanted to go. Choosing a seafood pasta dish, Jonouchi just passively watched Tanaka in front of him as she prattled on about her relationship plans.

A Vera Wang dress and a wedding in Hokkaido. She wanted to honeymoon in Hawaii and buy a second home in California, where the other Kaibaland park was. She also wanted to bring her little teenage sister along so she could meet rich men in America, although she hadn’t brought that up to Kaiba once. All these dreams and desires, plans that Jonouchi knew would never come to pass for her. Maybe that was why Tanaka decided to spill them, because some part of her had to know that her relationship was a farce.

“I just want to be a rich housewife,” Tanaka admitted, sipping her tea forlornly, “Is that really too much to ask for?”

* * *

It was late by the time Jonouchi finished humoring Tanaka and she finally left with her dress and decided to go home. The sun was beginning to go down and grabbing the laptop he’d been given for doing work at home, Jonouchi slipped it into his cheap messenger bag before grabbing his jacket and heading towards the train station.

He was so thankful the ride was short. It felt weird looking like an office worker, nearly indistinguishable from the rest. Although his hair kept him looking young and somewhat rebellious, his business dress was still a cheap carbon copy that all the other junior ranking office workers wore. Sometimes Jonouchi tried to add some pop of color into his clothes but he was also careful not to draw too much attention to himself lest someone decide to chastise him for being too individualistic.

Instead of strolling towards his apartment building like usual, Jonouchi decided to jog the entire way. He did not want to get caught by Hirutani, in case he was still lurking around, and tired from his afternoon entertaining Tanaka, he just wanted to take a bath and eat some ramen in peace. Maybe he’d watch a stupid anime and get some work done too, if he felt up to it.

Once he stepped into his apartment, Jonouchi felt immediate relief. It wasn’t a large space, by any means, but it was more aesthetically pleasing and modern than any other place he’d ever lived in. Thanks to Kaiba Corporation’s employee benefits, he got to have a fairly nice unit downtown and only paid a modest rental fee for the apartment and furniture. It even had central air, and instead of dealing with noisy slum neighbors from all sides, the only other renters in the building were other single, junior employees who respected the rules of the apartment building lest they get removed and become forced to find a more expensive place on their own.

The cheap furniture Jonouchi had wasn’t even ugly. It was definitely inexpensive, bought no doubt in large quantities from some Ikea-inspired manufacturer but he liked his long and low-sitting full bed and the faux leather couch. He had a polished entertainment center that sat parallel to the sofa, along with a matching coffee table, rug, and bookshelf.

He got a deal on the TV, since Kaiba Corporation was working on creating more home-centric electronic goods to compete with the likes of Toshiba, Samsung, and Sony. Having rubbed elbows with some guys at R&D, he landed a free unit while they were testing the products for bugs. As long as he kept them updated on the TV's performance, Jonouchi got to use it for free indefinitely.

The building was great, too. There was a fitness center in the basement, as well as washers and dryers that worked. They even had a dry cleaning company that would pick up their work clothes and return them within 48 hours, as a part of their employee package. Jonouchi realized very quickly why everyone in the city wanted to work for Kaiba Corporation, even if Kaiba was a bit of an ass to deal with personally. No one else gave benefits like that. Jonouchi didn’t have a super impressive salary, but he also didn’t have much in the way of bills either. Almost everything he needed was provided for.

Changing work shoes for house slippers, Jonouchi began to settle in for the night. He was still contemplating taking a bath when he heard loud knocking on his door. Dancing around trying to get his pants off, Jonouchi looked through the keyhole before taking a deep breath.

Kaiba was back. He looked disgruntled, knocking on the door again when Jonouchi failed to open immediately.

“Why are you here?” Jonouchi immediately began, swinging the door wide open and glaring openly before blocking the entry way. “Last time you came over, you just ran off on me when things got tense. It didn’t help anything.”

“Yes, I know that,” Kaiba answered tersely. “Are you hungry?”

Jonouchi raised an eyebrow. What was this, some kind of peace offering? Or was Kaiba just bored and lonely again?

“I already ate,” Jonouchi replied in a low voice, “I spent all afternoon with your girlfriend shopping, in case you weren’t aware.”

“I was aware,” Kaiba answered.

He was carrying two bags in his hands and Jonouchi wondered if one of them was alcohol. A drink would be more than welcome considering the kind of day he just had but Jonouchi didn’t want to get tangled with Kaiba under the influence of alcohol again unless certain things between them changed.

He also didn’t like being the guy Kaiba chose to cheat on Tanaka with.

“I’m sure Akikio had a great time with you,” Kaiba continued, “Now will you please let me inside?”

“As long as you don’t just run away again if I say something you don’t like,” Jonouchi stressed. “If you come over, you stay over.”

“Fine.”

Jonouchi moved out of the way and closed the door behind Kaiba before taking a seat on the bar stool again. He was annoyed that Kaiba came unannounced, although he was also glad that Kaiba seemed to finally be taking them more seriously. Again, Kaiba’s eyes were glancing around the apartment, his pupils settling upon the duel deck hanging on Jonouchi’s upper wall above some shelves.

Both his rare Time Wizard and Red Eyes Black Dragon were kept in small frames, for display since he wasn’t dueling much at the moment. It was nice to just be able to look up at them sometimes when Jonouchi couldn’t sleep.

“I brought umeshu,” Kaiba began, “In case you need a drink.”

“Is this your late apology for slamming the door in my face during the conference?” Jonouchi asked.

Kaiba shrugged his shoulders.

“You can take this offering however you want.”

He was still being difficult, had his guard up. But at least he wasn’t trying to run off this time. Jonouchi could settle for a truce.

“There’s glasses in the kitchen cabinets,” Jonouchi instructed. “Feel free to help yourself.”

Kaiba didn’t seem offended at being told to serve himself. Jonouchi liked watching him move. When he wasn’t looking mean or acting like an ass, it was nice to just look at him and admire him.

Kaiba had always had an aesthetically pleasing body, now more than ever. Broad shoulders with a long torso and narrow hips, an overall lean but muscular figure. Kaiba seemed lucky to have a nice looking physique. Unlike Honda, who had a similar build in Jonouchi’s opinion, Kaiba also had a conventionally attractive face with unique colored eyes. He was also graceful when he moved. It was probably one of the reasons why he was so idolized in Domino City. Most people just couldn't stop admiring him.

However, Jonouchi always thought enjoying Kaiba from afar was easy. Interacting with him up close was a whole other matter altogether.

“So what exactly did you hope to achieve by coming here?” Jonouchi asked hesitantly.

He didn’t want to scare Kaiba away but he also didn’t want to be too hopeful. If things were to continue, some honestly between them would be mandatory. He didn’t like feeling yanked around.

“A chance to enjoy your company,” Kaiba answered.

He twisted the cap off quickly before taking the two glasses and pouring the drink into each. Grabbing the other spare stool, he sat close to Jonouchi before passing a glass over and drinking from his.

The silence gripped Jonouchi uncomfortably. He could feel a thousand thoughts swirling through his head at once. Since it didn’t seem like Kaiba was going to begin any kind of conversation with him, Jonouchi decided to just go for it.

“Tanaka thinks you two are going to get married,” Jonouchi blurted out, “She wants you to go to Singapore with her to meet her father. She considers you a serious boyfriend.”

“It’s not that serious,” Kaiba murmured, “I’m not going to Singapore anytime soon. And we’re not getting married.”

“She even has the dress designer she wants picked out,” Jonouchi continued. “She told me what kind of ring she wants, too. Why are you leading her on?”

“I’m not leading her on,” Kaiba argued, “She’s a fanciful girl, spoiled and used to getting her way. She likes to talk big when she’s around anyone who will listen. Don’t give her so much thought.”

“I don’t like listening to it,” Jonouchi admitted. He sipped the drink before sighing, “I don’t like going on those fake dates with her, either.”

“Does listening to her prattle on make you jealous?” Kaiba asked.

He sounded like he was teasing him and Jonouchi didn’t like that. How was he supposed to feel about taking his girlfriend out and listening to all her crazy wedding fantasy dreams? Amused?

“Yes, it makes me jealous.” He drank from his glass again before crossing his arms. “It’s not funny hearing that stuff from her, and it shouldn’t be funny to you, either. I’m not ashamed to admit to you that I like you quite a bit, when you aren’t behaving like a jackass towards me. I don’t want to like you but I do.

“And I don’t want to be around Tanaka anymore, Kaiba. Sometimes I think I shouldn’t even be around you, considering you are still technically with her. It’s cruel.”

“She’s just a gold digger, Jonouchi. Akikio’s feelings don’t run any deeper than that. Her father is in financial trouble. She wants an easy life and I wanted uncomplicated sex,” explained Kaiba. “Things have now obviously changed and I’m not going to marry her. Ever.”

“I think maybe you should be telling her that instead of telling me,” Jonouchi muttered. “I’m not the one trying to plan a honeymoon in Hawaii.”

Kaiba snorted as if amused.

“I’ll talk to her about it next time I see her,” Kaiba informed Jonouchi, looking over his glass before smirking in that obnoxious manner of his.

Jonouchi didn’t look away but he could feel his cheeks beginning to warm up. It was weird sitting so close, knowing that they were alone. It made him feel on edge.

“She’ll understand, I’m sure. The last time I was with her didn’t go well, anyway.”

“Don’t misunderstand me, Kaiba. I don’t want to be some kind of new, easy fuck arrangement for you, either,” Jonouchi interrupted. “I don’t want to be another casual hook up you can toss aside when things get too inconvenient for you. I want more than that and I know you want more than just a warm body to stick your dick into.”

Now it was Kaiba’s turn to appear embarrassed. It was unusual to ever see his face color at all. Jonouchi poured more alcohol into Kaiba’s empty glass before clearing his throat.

“I know you’re not good at this sort of thing and I don’t expect you to be either,” Jonouchi reasoned. “At least, not off the bat. It’ll be a learning process for us both.

"But I’m not going to have sex with you and pretend like I don’t care about you afterwards. And you’re not going to fuck me in private and then treat me like shit at work anymore either, got it? You’ll either figure out how to be a decent friend to me or find some other person to have sex with.”

Kaiba adjusted himself on the stool, appearing even more uncomfortable before finally nodding his head.

“Are these your conditions for me to continue seeing you?” he asked.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Jonouchi felt a little proud of himself. He didn’t think he’d ever get Kaiba to agree to something like this, a relationship that they could both live with. He didn’t expect Kaiba to seriously date him and he wasn’t even sure that he’d even want that, considering all the trouble that would be involved. It didn’t seem like a real possibility. Certainly not in Domino City. Not with people following Kaiba around with their iphones, taking sneaky pictures of him in public. Jonouchi didn’t want to inspire any kind of speculation, towards either of them, and he could appreciate Kaiba’s desire for privacy and discretion.

Several of the higher ups at Kaiba Corporation had sexual relationships with their juniors. No one spoke about it openly but Jonouchi knew how people behaved around each other when they’d had sex together before. It was a relief for him to realize that Kaiba hadn’t been screwing anyone else in his department. Kaiba treated everyone the same at the office, everyone except him, and even the handsome, charming Suzuki didn’t seem to grasp his attention. Jonouchi figured Kaiba wasn’t as attracted to him as he was.

Sometimes Suzuki brought up the office romances while they drank at bars together. Jonouchi wasn’t one to be interested in gossip but sometimes the stories were rather shocking. Especially when it was some married sixty year old man with grown children fucking a college intern. At least him and Kaiba were the same age, and they knew each other long before Jonouchi came to Kaiba Corp. It didn’t feel like an abusive power dynamic. Jonouchi wasn’t sleeping with Kaiba to get a promotion or anything (as if Kaiba would offer him one).

Although that didn’t necessarily make things completely right, either.

Jonouchi threw the bottle into recycling once it was empty. They had easily finished it and although Jonouchi wasn’t buzzed at all, Kaiba seemed to be. He appeared slightly unsteady while getting up from his chair, putting his takeout box in the fridge. Jonouchi contemplated getting more alcohol from a nearby 7/11 for a moment but he didn’t want Hirutani showing up to ruin his evening. Not with Kaiba alongside him.

It also just wasn’t a good idea for Kaiba to be seen hanging around the single employee apartment building, in case someone (rightfully) thought he was hooking up with a junior from his company. Kaiba really didn’t have a good reason for being there. His place wasn’t even close to Jonouchi’s neighborhood.

The apartment was really made for just a single resident, too. They allowed cats but Jonouchi couldn’t imagine trying to hide the litter box in such a small, intimate room.

Kaiba was inconveniently standing right behind him. Jonouchi tried to twist himself around, trapped between the tiny two burner stove top and the bar-style dining counter but Kaiba was purposely getting into his way. Playfully bumping into him like it was a game, he only finally moved once Jonouchi gave him a proper shove along the top of his shoulder.

Was he trying to be flirty now?

“Do you find the apartment adequate?” asked Kaiba.

He seemed done talking about their relationship. That was fine by Jonouchi. Exhausted already, there was nothing else he really wanted to bring up now. Most of it was already off his chest.

“It’s the best place I’ve ever lived in so far,” Jonouchi admitted. “I grew up in subsidized housing. Our window air conditioning unit always used to break down and the water pipes sucked. Here, everything is new and works.”

Jonouchi doubted Kaiba knew much about how he’d grown up. He was always too self-involved to listen about anyone but himself.

“It looks like you met the guys in R&D,” Kaiba started with a hint of humor in his tone, “They are always giving free models away. You should take advantage of whatever connections you can get.”

“You own the company, Kaiba,” Jonouchi pointed out, laughing now at Kaiba’s suggestion, “You could always just help me out yourself. That’s generally what friends do for each other.”

“Are we friends?” Kaiba asked.

His tone had dropped an octave and Jonouchi could tell that he was asking a serious question. Jonouchi played it in his head a few times before deciding on how to answer.

“You came over to see me,” Jonouchi replied. “That’s what friends generally do. I really want us to be friends and I don’t see why we can’t be unless you don’t want to try...”

“I never had friends before,” Kaiba admitted, although he said that like he was speaking to himself. “Most of the kids I grew up around at the orphanage were bullies and I didn’t have any peers while living under Gozaburo. He gave me an army of tutors instead of allowing me to go to a real school...”

He took a seat on the couch and hid his feet under the low coffee table that sat in front of him. Feeling much more relaxed than before, Jonouchi sat down next to him. The foot contact made him nervous but it wasn’t like he had never been stuck sitting close to Kaiba before. At the conference, he spent at least eight hours for two days stuck against him and he wondered if that happened by design. Did Kaiba enjoy watching Jonouchi squirm around in his seat?

“Kaiba, you don’t have friends from the lack of opportunity,” snorted Jonouchi.

Prolonged quiet just made things weird.

“Forget I said that, I’m not angry about that past stuff... I’d just like us to get along.

“And maybe you could set me up with that new gaming console that just came out,” Jonouchi continued, this time trying to be more light in tone, “You don’t pay me enough to buy it. I should get some kind of perk from being around you all the time. Professionally.”

“Duly noted.”

He looked up at him. Kaiba wasn’t looking back at first but slowly he turned his head to look Jonouchi in the eyes, his irises dark and pupils just slightly dilated. Jonouchi already felt sweaty from wearing just his undershirt and boxers from work but now that they were so close, he could feel his hands begin to get clammy. One side of him wanted to get up and run away but there wasn’t any place to go.

Besides, he’d invited Kaiba to stay.

“You look nervous,” Kaiba stated, his lips raising just a hair.

His eyebrows were raised too and Jonouchi could tell that he was enjoying himself now.

“Yeah, because you always make me feel nervous,” Jonouchi admitted, “Please get out of the suit already. I can’t be next to you while you’re looking like that, it makes me feel like some sort of a bum. It’s too hot in here for all of that, anyway.”

Scoffing, Kaiba got up and stood a good meter away before taking off his sport jacket and dumping it on the floor. He had such casual disregard for nice clothes, Jonouchi felt stunned just sitting there watching him strip down. Was this supposed to be some kind of sexy tease for him? Jonouchi snorted loudly, turning his head away but then he felt a sweaty shirt land on his face.

His olfactory senses were immediately assaulted by a mass of pheromones, his stomach flipping uncomfortably in reaction. Jonouchi could feel the heat rising from his ears down to his chest and neck. It was really easy for him to blush, and although he was glad Kaiba couldn’t see his facial expression, he found it hard to have his senses overwhelmed so suddenly by appealing body odor.

Before he could get the damn shirt off his face though, he found his arms pinned down to the couch, Kaiba’s body pressing on top of his own. Jonouchi wasn’t panicked by any means but he was surprised, and he sucked in a breath when Kaiba forced his arms over his head and started kissing along his exposed throat.

They ended up fucking on Jonouchi’s couch of all places. He had to instruct Kaiba on where he kept his lubricant (in the bathroom), and he spent most of their initial foreplay with the damn shirt still stuck on his face. He liked the musky, woodsy scent but it was also unnerving having so little control and being unable to see while Kaiba stripped him down naked. It wasn’t until Kaiba flipped him over did the shirt come off and throwing the damn thing across the room, Jonouchi grumbled before lifting himself up on his elbows.

Kaiba kissed him along his back and shoulders, tracing his spine before grabbing on his hips and squeezing. It was strange getting felt up by someone Jonouchi had professed to hate just a few months before, and he shoved his face into a pillow to hide his embarrassment. He could feel a hand kneading through his hair, and when it trailed down to his arms, Jonouchi complied with stretching them out before feeling teeth and a warm tongue along his neck and ear lobes.

Jonouchi felt hot all over. He couldn’t see a damn thing but he could feel Kaiba’s body on him, all around him, adjusting his position until he was sitting back on his knees in downward dog. Jonouchi liked being under Kaiba during sex, it didn’t bother him that he preferred being receptive. It was more intense that way; he always felt a little apprehensive when he had to take the reins with his sexual partners and he hated all the times he slept with girls who expected him to be the aggressive one. Jonouchi never liked all that pressure being placed on him, and he was more than willing to give that power over to someone else more confident.

He gasped a little when Kaiba started fingering him but he found himself groaning into his pillow when Kaiba’s other hand started jerking him off. It was more heightened when he couldn’t use his own masturbation technique, and Jonouchi felt fully aroused and prepared by the time Kaiba entered him.

It was warmer and much more intimate, not feeling any latex between them. The head of Kaiba’s dick twitched at least once and Jonouchi found himself smoothing his hair back in an attempt to relax. He had to bite his bottom lip to calm down before Kaiba finally began rocking back and forth with a steady, gentle pace. Feeling stretched out, Jonouchi was left winded each time Kaiba thrusted into him and he didn’t even need to beat off to enjoy the sensation of pressure and pleasure against his prostate.

When Kaiba gripped his hips tighter, Jonouchi thought he might begin to scream. It felt deep. His legs were shaking and he could feel sweat sliding down his back and thighs. His hair was clinging to his face and every time Kaiba entered him, he could hear a contented moan. Jonouchi was a little too self-aware to really get loud himself but he enjoyed hearing Kaiba’s grunts of approval, the sounds of clapping echoing in his ears as the rhythm progressively grew faster and faster. It almost became hard to stay on his knees, and Kaiba at one point had to grab Jonouchi around his waist to support him before Jonouchi enthusiastically rocked back into him, riding the momentum into orgasm.

Muffling himself with a pillow, Jonouchi cried into it before ejaculating on his own stomach. He felt kind of gross, the action was so involuntary, but he also felt extremely satisfied. Kaiba was still not finished, though. Jonouchi’s back suddenly felt cold, and Kaiba must have been sitting up again because a chill ran down his spine before he shuddered against his will. His new exposed position ate at Jonouchi’s nerves before he finally heard Kaiba cry out, warm ejaculate hitting him in a quick rush.

Kaiba rocked back a few times before he finished, and Jonouchi sighed deeply into his pillow before closing his eyes. He felt raw and vulnerable lying ass up naked on the couch. His legs felt weak. He didn’t think he could move. He felt tears on the edges of his eyes, and he wiped his face into the pillow while he felt Kaiba pull out. Although Jonouchi laid down, he didn’t lift up his head again for several seconds until he felt Kaiba touch his neck tenderly.

Maybe it was the dopamine rush coursing through his system but Jonouchi suddenly realized that he did want some kind of romantic relationship with Kaiba, even if Kaiba wasn’t necessarily good for him. Jonouchi enjoyed this too much. It felt good when they were together and they must have had some kind of a bond because Kaiba wasn’t screwing anyone else like this. Yeah, Jonouchi felt kinda gross from the lack of a condom, but he also felt uncontrollably happy.

Kaiba said he’d stop seeing Akikio. He had told him he didn’t even want her sexually anymore. What exactly did that mean for them then? Jonouchi was too afraid to ask, in case the answer would ruin his high.

Collapsed on the couch, Jonouchi just closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath while Kaiba moved around behind him. He was leaning over him at one point, and Jonouchi could feel the tip of his nose bumping along the back of his head before teeth racked his ear.

“Stop it,” Jonouchi finally managed to utter, “Give me a moment, I need a break.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the attention but he had so many thoughts rushing through his head, he couldn’t manage to think and be touched at the same time. Kaiba kinda ignored the request though and feeling his ass get squeezed, Jonouchi finally jumped up and smacked Kaiba’s hand away. He sat up quickly before finally pulling his boxers back on.

Jonouchi forced himself into the bathroom. It was super uncomfortable having fresh ejaculate still inside of him. Jonouchi usually wasn’t easily grossed out by bodily fluids, he’d been beaten up so many times before, he grew to ignore the sight of his own blood. Fresh semen was a different level of gross, though. He couldn’t do much about what was still inside of him but he could do his best to be hygienic and wipe himself clean before returning back.

Kaiba seemed still kind of buzzed. He’d raided Jonouchi’s cabinet and collapsed on the bed with a bag of salted chips and a can of Sapporo beer. When Jonouchi tried to reach for the bag, Kaiba pulled them away, forcing Jonouchi to take a single chip out from between his fingers with his teeth before finally sharing.

“You’re going to actually stay the night, right?” Jonouchi asked shyly.

He didn’t want to be left alone after all of that. It would be too much. He wouldn’t be able to handle the feeling of alienation.

“Yes I am,” Kaiba agreed. “You stipulated that I had to when I first arrived, remember?”

“I remember,” Jonouchi replied, “Just didn’t know if you intended to follow through with it.”

“Of course I did, I’m not a liar.”

Jonouchi rolled his eyes. He was far too tired to argue over that. The sex had been intense and he felt peculiar now; he’d come home already emotionally drained from dealing with Tanaka. Nearly had a heart attack that morning from spilling coffee and doing his best to avoid Mokuba. He’d had a long, difficult day. Sex happened spontaneously and he just hoped whatever silly, intense feelings he felt now would pass by morning.

“Also,” Kaiba continued, “I think you should know, Mokuba knows about us.”

Jonouchi stiffened.

“What do you mean he knows?”

“He found out, he’s a smart kid,” said Kaiba nonchalantly, “He asked me about us. I couldn’t lie to him about it. And it’s not like I’m ashamed to have told him, either. He doesn’t care about who I have sex with... or rather, he doesn’t care about me having sex with men.”

“Yeah, but what about me?” Jonouchi replied, his tone feeling more emotional, “Maybe I didn’t want to be outed like that.”

“It wasn’t my intention to expose you. Besides, Mokuba isn’t going to tell anyone.”

“Maybe I didn’t want anyone knowing that about me,” Jonouchi grumbled. “You’re the only man I’ve ever had sex with before, Kaiba. That’s kind of a big deal, at least to me.”

He paused before dropping his chin on his mattress.

“I never even told Yugi...”

Jonouchi avoided looking Kaiba in the face while he was feeling slightly upset with him. Lying on his stomach with his head turned, he decided to focus on something else. Looking out the window, there was the parking lot outside his building, and the park that sat beyond it. Past the trees and gazebo, large buildings and skyscrapers filled the backdrop. The Kaiba Corporation tower was still conspicuous, the lights glowing against the darkness of night. It was the first time in a long time Jonouchi looked at it and didn’t feel immediately pissed off.

“If you want to tell Yugi about us, I can’t exactly stop you.”

“But you wouldn’t want me to do that,” Jonouchi replied neutrally. “So I’m not going to. I can respect your wish for privacy... I’m bothered your brother knows mostly because I don’t want Mokuba asking invasive questions about us.”

More importantly, asking invasive questions about him. Jonouchi wasn’t going there with the kid. Mokuba might be his boss, but not everything was his business to know. He certainly didn’t need the kid’s judgement or disapproval over his personal relationships.

“That might be inevitable but I promise, he’s not going to think any less of you. You’re not the one he’s angry with.”

Jonouchi snorted. What a small mercy. Grabbing one of his pillows, he moved until he was on his side before closing his eyes. Although he was annoyed with Kaiba telling Mokuba the truth about them, he also understood why Kaiba couldn’t lie to his face about it. Jonouchi knew he’d get over the embarrassment, as long as Kaiba didn’t spill any unnecessary details. Closing his eyes, Jonouchi thought about trying to get some sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is safe and thank you for reading.

It was nearly impossible to fall asleep despite how exhausted Jonouchi felt. He had his eyes closed and laid on his side unmoving but he was aware of every move Kaiba made throughout the night. Although Jonouchi had tried to fall asleep immediately after sex, Kaiba seemed content to finish his beer in the dark and fiddle around with his cell phone. At one point he must have thought Jonouchi was actually asleep because he started playing with his hair.

Jonouchi kept his eyes shut and didn’t move although his heart nearly burst out of his rib-cage at the feeling of fingers in his hair. It was near impossible to settle down and rest. He wanted to jump out of bed and go run a mile or two despite feeling sore. Giddy energy was all pent up inside of him and it didn’t die down until Kaiba got up and went into the bathroom.

No longer being watched, Jonouchi opened his eyes and peered into the darkness of his apartment. The lights under the bathroom door shone. He could hear the faucet running, and taking the opportunity to lie on his stomach, Jonouchi smoothed his hair with his own fingers before trying to relax again.

Surprisingly, Kaiba didn’t try scurrying off in the middle of the night. He took up most of the bed, which wasn’t that big to begin with, and Jonouchi was thankful he’d put his boxers back on. Warm skin to skin contact met at his back and Jonouchi tried not to squirm when he felt Kaiba embrace him.

It felt weird. Jonouchi wondered at some point if he was actually asleep and having a strange dream.

“I wouldn’t have to do this if you had a larger bed,” Kaiba mumbled into Jonouchi’s ear. “I don’t want to fall off this thing in my sleep.”

“It’s not my fault that this place is small,” Jonouchi answered back quietly. “This is your building, after all.”

He heard Kaiba grumble in response but then he’d gone completely quiet.

That was fine. Jonouchi wasn’t in any kind of mood for conversation. He could hear Kaiba’s breathing becoming deeper and although Kaiba didn’t snore, it was audibly apparent when he’d fallen asleep. Lying there awake, Jonouchi could feel his breath against the back of his head gently lifting his hair every few seconds as he slept.

Every time Jonouchi tried to sleep, his stomach just tied into knots. When he wasn’t worrying over what had just transgressed with Kaiba, his thoughts would jump to Hirutani and the recording. He couldn’t believe after everything that had happened to him that day, he was going to ruin the afterglow with thoughts about his terrorizer but it was hard to put him aside as Jonouchi looked out his bedroom window into the still darkness of the parking lot.

Each time he closed his eyes, he left like a nightmare was just at the edge of his dreams. There was a constant threat of being removed from the safe haven of his bedroom, that he’d find himself transferred back to some old, forgotten place where Hirutani used to operate. He didn’t want to think about the shit that used to go on. The events of his early teen years were a black stain Jonouchi continued to carry, having seen so much and having done so little about it.

Jonouchi opened his eyes, turning to look at the city skyline instead.

He felt weird and out of sorts. Relaxed yet still anxious. A little excited but also full of dread. Jonouchi wondered how Kaiba felt but he was asleep, and even if he weren’t asleep, Jonouchi highly doubted he’d share his feelings with anyone.

If he even had any feelings.

Why was it so easy for him to pretend like he didn’t care? The first time they’d had sex, Kaiba basically told him to get out before sunrise. Granted, they’d just had a knock-down, drag-out fight prior but Jonouchi couldn’t imagine just doing that to someone after sharing an extremely intimate moment.

Allowing himself to get penetrated during sex went well beyond what Jonouchi considered to be acting like a good sport. Giving a blow job or jerking off someone didn’t really mean much to him. Taking a dick though had the potential for him to end up getting really injured, or having a really terrible experience. He knew what that felt like. Before hooking up with Kaiba, Jonouchi hadn’t considered being physically intimate with another guy beyond foreplay. He’d fantasized about having sex like that before, using various toys while still dating women but he was too afraid to seek out a male partner. Never once did he tell anyone about his curiosity, and the fact that Kaiba could pleasure him that way so well... like they just fit together...

No other kind of sex ever left him feeling so completely desperate for someone. During it, the initial discomfort quickly transformed to pleasure which would then transform into overwhelming sensations he could barely describe... It felt so carnal, so taboo and primitive. It was the only kind of sex act that made him feel completely bare, but in a good way, like his entire being was in someone else’s hands. Experiencing intense, rough sex left him feeling both weak and exhilarated.

He liked how aggressive Kaiba was in bed. He liked the energy he always exuded, the quiet, masculine confidence that Jonouchi had always secretly admired about him. His attraction to Kaiba had always been a secret, something he wasn’t prepared to tell anyone about.

Kaiba just did it for him; there was something arousing to Jonouchi about the idea of a sexy, powerful man fucking him. Especially if said man put him into a submissive position, Jonouchi just ended up liking it even more. He wasn’t ashamed of his erotic desire to be dominated during sex. Maybe there was something wrong with him but Jonouchi didn’t think too hard about it because it wasn’t something he wanted to really change about himself.

He didn’t think he could ever explain the kind of satisfaction he got from submitting to another man’s desire, anyway. It wasn’t like Jonouchi liked being bossed around in his daily life; he fucking hated that shit. His rebellion streak had caused him so many problems, namely at school, because he just refused to respect stupid rules and abusive authority figures. But during sex, it just did something for him to get roughed up a little and be put in his place.

It was just weird, in a cosmic kind of way, that Kaiba happened to be the person that Jonouchi got to explore that dynamic with. Jonouchi wasn’t exactly complaining (and Kaiba wasn’t either) but it did make him question some stuff about himself. How could he find so much sexual pleasure from being fucked by his one time rival and personal tormentor?

To be fair, he’d also seen a private part of Kaiba that was closed off from everyone else. Kaiba could be charming sometimes, when he wanted to be, and he was also funny. Having sex with him was always passionate and wild but afterwards Kaiba could also be surprisingly tender, when he allowed himself to be. Jonouchi didn’t know what Kaiba saw in him exactly, or why he was interested in Jonouchi in the first place, but he was glad that they were getting along now(sort of).

Even when Jonouchi still didn’t like him, he still found himself wanting to be around him. It was so difficult to explain his attraction to Kaiba. It used to bug him deeply that he did, back when he believed that his interest was one-sided.

Jonouchi really wanted to believe that he knew some part of Kaiba that no one else did, maybe a part of him that even Kaiba himself wasn’t quite in touch with. Or comfortable accepting. That maybe if Jonouchi tried to be patient and continued seeing him, Kaiba would one day allow himself to be as vulnerable with Jonouchi as Jonouchi already was with him.

Or maybe he was asking and hoping for too much. When was the last time he ever gave so much thought to someone he was sleeping with? He'd led on plenty of people in the past.

Jonouchi put a hand through his hair before sighing deeply. He was being ridiculous and emotional. Instead of thinking about Kaiba, he should be trying to rest.

Hours ticked by and Jonouchi traveled in and out of consciousness. He never quite settled into a restful deep sleep but he was able to keep his eyes closed. Unsettled by his thoughts, he found himself being transported from one distressing dream to another, his mind acting out from his troubling conscious thoughts although at waking, Jonouchi could not remember the contents of them. He could just remember certain feelings, from dread to bewilderment. Waking to find himself not alone only made him even more flustered as he tried to rush out of bed.

He really had to use the restroom. Kaiba was still in the apartment, asleep but present, and Jonouchi felt mortified as he locked himself in his bathroom. His guts were acting up and the need to void himself was intense. Turning on the shower, Jonouchi hoped the sound of rushing water would block out any embarrassing noises he might make unwittingly. As if he could stop nature.

After dealing with the grossness of bodily functions, Jonouchi took a long shower. He nearly opened every bottle of smelly wash he had, going through his hair and body with a washcloth before combing out his thick hair in the rushing water. Turning off the shower, Jonouchi stood in a towel while drying off his hair, relieved that the space was now heavy with the scent of cheap shower soap.

Returning to the main room, Jonouchi tried to be quiet as he got dressed. He wasn’t sure if he should wake Kaiba up or just allow him to sleep in that morning. They had work but it wasn’t a morning where they’d have meetings and if Kaiba arrived late, no one would say anything to him. Jonouchi didn’t think it was his job off the clock to get him to work, and in his rush to get his clothes on quick, he tripped around trying to get his boxer briefs over his ass before digging around for a clean dress shirt in his dresser drawer.

He was so engrossed with it, Jonouchi didn’t realize that Kaiba was awake until he heard him clear his voice while putting on his dress shirt.

“Why are you in such a rush?” Kaiba asked, his voice groggy as he started fixing his hair.

Jonouchi stared at him dumbfounded for a second before blinking, his mind becoming panicked. Was he trying to run off? Seemed like a good idea, if he was trying to avoid any awkward feelings between them. It wasn’t his plan to go with Kaiba to work; he doubted they were suddenly going to be great pals now even after their serious talk the night before.

“I’m a morning person,” Jonouchi stammered, “This is just my routine.”

“You look ready to bolt out of here,” Kaiba noted. As he got up, Jonouchi took a step back. He could feel his heart racing for no particular reason and he watched Kaiba gather up his clothes. Feeling anxious, Jonouchi distracted himself by looking to find a suitable matching blazer for his dress shirt and pants..

Kaiba Corporation had a more lax dress code than most other big offices. Most days were usually semi-business casual and only some of the old executives wore entire suits everyday to work. Jonouchi was required to wear trousers with a belt, dress shirts with a blazer and leather shoes. He didn’t need to be completely dressed up everyday but wearing nicer clothes still was a challenge for him since he grew up wearing whatever he could get his hands on.

He looked like all the poor college graduates who picked up entry level jobs at corporate offices. Many of them were trying to change their image to appear more hip, and Kaiba Corporation above all the others had a reputation for being more liberal than the other companies but there were still many in management who preferred the old, conservative ways and didn’t like work wear becoming too exciting.

People like Asato, who always dressed in black with a white blouse every single day. The only variation on her outfits was the occasional navy blue or dark grey. It didn’t seem to matter to her that her boss liked to wear outrageous outfits from time to time (Jonouchi had seen Kaiba wearing black leather pants more than once to the office), she seemed to ignore Kaiba’s rock star antics and stuck to the conservatism that she was more comfortable with.

Jonouchi did not want to get on her bad side, but sometimes he tried getting away with a little bit of color. Or, if it was going to be a more casual day, he’d forgo wearing a tie. Although Jonouchi liked looking different from everyone else, he did try to stick to inoffensive colors to keep on Asato’s good side.

While he stressed over his clothes, Jonouchi didn’t notice when Kaiba snuck into his bathroom. He was shocked when he realized that he’d decided to take a shower in Jonouchi’s apartment without asking. Apparently he was just going to make himself at home.

Jonouchi wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Was Kaiba just that relaxed about being in his apartment? He’d have to use Jonouchi’s cheap shower soap. If Kaiba had just went straight to work, he certainly would have had enough time to use one of the gym showers’ before being due in his office.

Jonouchi hadn’t expected this. Grabbing a banana, he ate nervously at the counter while waiting for Kaiba to get out and hopefully explain his plan (if he even had one).

He ended up waiting for quite a while. Kaiba took his sweet time, even going so far as to find Jonouchi’s barely used hair dryer and using it before coming out and getting dressed in his old clothes. Jonouchi watched and he was surprised to find that Kaiba didn’t care about having an audience. If anything, he seemed to enjoy being looked upon. He must have been really confident to bare it all and find it amusing. Jonouchi could feel his face burning while Kaiba put his briefs back on. As if he didn’t notice just how well the man could fit into his clothes.

Jonouchi shoved the rest of the banana into his mouth before throwing away the peel, feeling just slightly disgruntled.

“Glad to see that you waited for me,” Kaiba teased. He finally got his jacket on before going to the front door to get his shoes. “There’s a place I want to stop at before work. I’ll tell Asato to expect us both to be late.”

“Us both?” Jonouchi balked. How exactly would that sound, them returning to work together? What the heck was Kaiba thinking?

“You came early to pick up some materials from my apartment,” Kaiba instructed, “She’s not going to question anything I say. You really think people pay that much attention to you and I? Trust me, no one cares or will notice. Suzuki used to arrive late from doing morning errands for me all the time.”

“Okay but were you also fucking him on the side too?” Jonouchi asked brazenly.

“No,” Kaiba answered smugly. “I don’t think he’s interested in men, and besides, I was never as keen to like him as you seem to think I was. He’s not ugly but he's definitely not my type.”

Raising an eyebrow, Jonouchi wondered just what exactly his type was before he realized that Kaiba was trying to leave the studio. Hurrying with his shoes and grabbing his keys and laptop bag, Jonouchi did not allow himself to be left behind.

They had to walk together, Jonouchi looking around hoping no one from the complex would notice just who was with him. Kaiba had parked his car more than two blocks away, so they had to walk outside the apartment building at six in the morning (thankfully before most people were up) and find Kaiba’s vehicle.

It occurred to Jonouchi that Kaiba might have a thing for sports cars. He had a classic red 2000GT Toyota just parked down the street. It was a car collector’s wet dream and Kaiba seemed nonchalant about unlocking it and getting into the driver’s seat.

“Are you going to come along or what?” He’d asked.

It took a second for Jonouchi to shake the surprise off of him. At least Kaiba was asking instead of just barking at him to come along so Jonouchi tried to smile and nod his head.

“I had no idea you owned cool cars like this,” he started to gush. “I used to work at an auto shop and we never saw anything like this before.”

Despite it being a beautiful car, it was also rather small. Jonouchi had to place the laptop case on his lap and he could smell his shower gel on Kaiba’s body as well as on himself. It made his stomach flip a million times before he tried to focus on something else.

“I’m not really a car person,” Kaiba explained, “I can appreciate good engineering when I see it but this was never a hobby of mine. I just inherited them.”

Kaiba Gozaburo collected classic cars? Jonouchi wondered what all lurked in Kaiba’s garage. He had half a mind to ask but the wiser part of him told him not to. Not only was he not quite comfortable just carrying on a personal conversation that morning but he also didn’t know how Kaiba would react to such a potentially hot button topic. Jonouchi knew that he had a calamitous relationship with his adoptive father and it was probably best that he didn’t bring up such a sore spot. He had no idea how Kaiba would react talking about things that belonged to the man he hated so intensely.

The cool cars could wait.

Jonouchi kept quiet during the drive. They were going through a neighborhood that seemed familiar and then Kaiba parked right in front of a restaurant that looked like a place he’d been to before. Jonouchi hadn’t noticed the valet when he’d walked there from the subway station alone before. Kaiba just gave up the keys to the driver and Jonouchi followed behind, still feeling somewhat anxious as he entered the restaurant.

It appeared as nice and orderly as before, the Meiji-era place with the stark white tablecloths and uniformed servers. There were several patrons there, all older men in suits who ate in groups and Kaiba had requested a table in the back, where Jonouchi presumed people wouldn’t be able to recognize him.

They’d even ended up with the same waitress Jonouchi had before.

“I’d like the omuhayashi and Caffe Americano,” Jonouchi asked once it was time to take down orders. He didn’t stray at all from his prior order. The food was good and although he didn’t like coffee, the caffeine would pep him up to stay awake and lively through work. Especially considering his bad attempts at sleeping the night before, he really needed the pick-me up.

“I’d like the morning set and coffee, just two sugars and no cream,” Kaiba ordered. He seemed to know exactly what he wanted, like he’d been there before. Kaiba hadn’t even looked at the menu.

The server disappeared for a time before returning with the drinks, and she filled their glasses with water before smiling and leaving them to themselves.

“Have you been here before?” Kaiba asked. “You seemed very confident in your choice.”

“Just once,” Jonouchi answered. “On my own. By chance.”

“Asato likes to come here,” Kaiba mused, “For business meetings. They have a reputation for being discreet and professional. The food isn’t bad, either.”

Jonouchi wondered why Kaiba had taken him to breakfast at all. He didn’t even ask him that morning, he’d just done so without prompting. Was he still feeling lonely or just wanted to be generous? They had an entire day to look forward to, being stuck around each other. Jonouchi was glad that he wasn’t feeling sore anymore, he’d recovered already. For the most part, he felt completely normal. Just his emotions were toying with him.

“Why are you so quiet this morning?” Kaiba asked, breaking the silence again. He was sipping his coffee contently but hadn’t stopped watching Jonouchi over the rim of his coffee mug. “You were chatty all last night.”

“I had a lot on my mind then,” Jonouchi reasoned, “And now, I don’t have as much to say. Also, I didn’t sleep very well.”

“How come? Were you in some sort of pain?” Kaiba inquired.

“No,” Jonouchi snorted. Even if he had been, he would rather die than admit to Kaiba they’d injured his rectum. Jonouchi wasn’t sure he could live through the embarrassment of having been ripped by Kaiba’s dick. Thank god for decent lubricant and the fact that he’d always been fairly limber.

“Just couldn’t sleep,” Jonouchi stressed as he played with his own drink, “It had nothing to do with you.”

He knew Kaiba would see through the lie but Jonouchi did not care. Right now was not a time where he wanted to even try to begin explaining himself. Honestly, he didn’t know what was wrong with him. Every time he tried to think of something to say to Kaiba, he doubted himself and his discomfort became more and more apparent. Jonouchi was glad that Kaiba was actually making some sort of an effort to be more considerate of him but they didn’t spend much if any time together like this.

Whatever this was, it just felt very strange to Jonouchi.

“Every time I closed my eyes, I felt like I was about to fall onto the edge of a nightmare,” Jonouchi tried to explain. “I really wanted to sleep, I was exhausted last night, but I couldn’t shut off that feeling...”

“What were you thinking about that almost gave you a nightmare?” Kaiba asked. He was sipping his coffee and spoke casually while asking the question but Jonouchi had a feeling that he was very curious over what the answer would be. Jonouchi really didn’t want to tell Kaiba about Hirutani. That was not someone he really wanted anyone around him knowing about.

“Stuff from school,” Jonouchi answered, “Before I met you. I used to hang out with some rough kids who did bad things from another school. I don’t really like thinking about it.”

“Strange thing to dwell on,” Kaiba remarked, “After just having had sex.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Jonouchi muttered. He would have rather thought about anything else, but the only thing that took his mind off from his anxiety over Kaiba was his anxiety over Hirutani. Somehow, he had to find a way to be free of him. There were always the illegal sort of ways, but Jonouchi didn’t want to attract trouble for himself. He certainly didn’t want to fail and end up encouraging Hirutani to really try fucking him up in retaliation.

Ugh. He didn’t want to think about this stuff. Jonouchi needed to change the subject.

“Do you like spending time with me, Kaiba?” he questioned.

Kaiba looked up from his coffee mug, appearing slightly caught off guard. His face didn’t color but his eyes did widen for half a second and he seemed ill prepared at answering the question. Jonouchi wondered if he was actually going to tell him the truth. He of course knew that Kaiba was lonely, Kaiba was always complaining about being lonely, but Jonouchi really wanted them to become real friends. He didn’t want Kaiba just tolerating his company out of desperation.

“You have grown on me,” he answered non-committedly, “I certainly don’t dislike spending time with you, as long as you aren’t throwing game boards or playing cards into my face like before.”

“Each time I did that, you kind of deserved it,” Jonouchi argued. He didn’t enjoy losing his temper but Kaiba just didn’t know when to stop sometimes. “Besides, I never hurt you.”

“You bit me once and drew blood,” Kaiba counter argued.

He seemed amused recalling that event more than anything. Jonouchi didn’t remember making Kaiba bleed but he did remember biting him during that one physical fight they'd had in Kaiba’s apartment. He couldn’t believe he tried to jump him. It felt good knowing that Kaiba couldn’t over power him easily in a fight (Jonouchi had always been curious about that), but it sucked also knowing that Kaiba was still stronger than him, even as an adult. Jonouchi was pretty sure that if Kaiba had wanted to ground him, he probably could manage it. He’d heard stories before.

“You didn’t die,” replied Jonouchi jokingly and he wanted to stick out his tongue but he prevented himself from doing it. Their fight in the hallway hadn’t been some funny, roughhousing thing. He’d been pretty damn upset when it had happened. Upset enough to successfully pin Kaiba against a wall. It was a miracle nothing worse than a bite had occurred that night.

“But I’m also not trying to be a violent person anymore,” Jonouchi apologized. “It wasn’t my intention to actually hurt you. Just intimidate you a little for once.”

Kaiba scoffed. “It wasn’t that bad. I’ve also known for a long time that you used to be a bit of a brawler.”

“Maybe back in high school, but I’ve put most of that stuff behind me now...”

Jonouchi was sure Kaiba didn’t know the details about how he almost killed someone in 8th grade and it led to him having to go to Domino High School. It wasn’t exactly on the official record. His mother had gone through great lengths to save him from himself, and while he didn’t have much respect for her afterwards from just disappearing again out of his life, he was thankful for the one time she did intervene for him. Who knows where he might have ended up if she hadn’t. He probably would have continued with Hirutani and ended up at juvie or somewhere worse.

His friendship with Yugi had saved him. Even Honda wasn’t that much of a great influence on him; they were both bullies together before meeting Yugi. Honda had even gone so far as to force Yugi to buy his dirty magazines. Jonouchi was even worse, harassing girls in his classes...

It was all so shameful to think about as an adult.

His mind didn’t dwell on it for long, however. Food had appeared finally and Jonouchi wasted no time digging in, becoming focused on the meal that was set in front of him. Kaiba ate more slowly but even he appeared hungry for once. Jonouchi didn’t really see him eat often, even at the office since Kaiba usually used lunch breaks to work out in the gym. He seemed to drink protein shakes more than eat real food and it was nice to see him doing something normal with another person.

Their breakfast date, if it could be called that, was actually surprisingly pleasant. Jonouchi was expecting it to be way more awkward but Kaiba was thankfully not bringing up their intimacy last night and decided to act normal that morning. Agreeing to go to the restaurant, Jonouchi really had no idea what to expect from Kaiba. It was nice to be around him without having to deal with snark and vitriol being flung his way for no reason.

He wondered though what going back to the office now would look like. Jonouchi was still bothered that Kaiba had a girlfriend, even if the relationship wasn’t exactly sincere. He didn’t like the idea of being the cause of Kaiba’s infidelity, despite Kaiba’s reassurances that it didn’t matter. Jonouchi had to see Tanaka, take her out shopping and listen to her spill all her crazy dreams. It felt like lying to her, pretending like everything in her relationship with Kaiba was alright when they were both banging each other behind her back. It felt wrong.

Working so closely to Kaiba in the office could be challenging, even on a good day, but perhaps Jonouchi did finally get through to him. Kaiba managed to remain fairly pleasant all morning. Pleasant and attentive. For someone who liked to appear anti-social, Kaiba sure loved to talk when someone was willing to listen to him. Mostly, it was stuff about work, about his proposals and projects. Jonouchi knew about most of it just from paying attention at work, but it wasn’t usually possible for him to hear Kaiba actually speak about them personally. Usually he found out things from Suzuki, who had ears all over the place.

Business and technology didn’t exactly interest Jonouchi but he liked listening to Kaiba talk about it. He could break things down and explain them well without insulting Jonouchi’s intelligence; a skill Kaiba apparently always had and choose to keep to himself until that morning. Normally he could be fairly pretentious when explaining something to someone more junior than himself (which was pretty much everyone) and Jonouchi was even more disadvantaged than most because he didn’t have the privilege of a college education. He was the most ignorant employee in his department, which he constantly felt guilty about whenever someone said something that went straight over his head.

Mostly, it was the passion behind Kaiba’s voice that Jonouchi liked listening to. He didn’t care much about electronics and while he enjoyed holographics while playing duel monsters, he also liked playing table top as well. All the flashy mechanics helped improve the game, giving it appeal that reached beyond the usual kids who played trading card games, but Jonouchi was never someone who focused on it. Kaiba seemed bent on pushing things forward; he talked about his frustrations with the duel disk proposals because he’d finished the prototypes and knew what he’d come up with was superior to the gear everyone already had from Battle City.

“Do you have a model you could show me,” Jonouchi asked, “I mean, as long as you aren’t keeping it as some huge secret, I think it would be cool to compare it to the old duel disk.”

“There’s several in the basement labs but I have one at home that I’ve personalized,” Kaiba offered, “I’ll show you it next time you come over. Bring your deck.”

“You’re not gonna try to convince me to duel you again, right?” Seemed unlikely, since Jonouchi hadn’t been much of a challenge last time they played but he’d also been drunk that night. Kaiba had only barely played better than him, mostly because he had been making more of an effort to win. “I always wanted a rematch against you but not if you have the advantage because you understand how the tech works and I don't.”

“I’m not challenging you to a duel,” Kaiba sighed as he rolled his eyes a little, “I want to show you something I’ve been working on. You’ll like it more if you can play one of your own favorite cards rather than one of mine.”

Now Jonouchi was really intrigued. Suzuki had said the new duel disks mostly had to do with improving the specs and graphics, things that Jonouchi generally didn’t care too much about. Not because he liked crappy things but because he could barely afford paying for his first duel disk and he didn’t want to save up for another. The old one still worked, he was extremely attached to the damn thing, and he couldn’t imagine how Kaiba improved upon it so much so that he’d actually need to get a new one.

He usually laughed at people who constantly bought new phones and computers when their stuff at home still worked. Growing up, he’d never had the luxury to replace things even when they were still working. That was something rich people did.

“We should get going.”

Kaiba broke Jonouchi’s thoughts as he moved to pay the bill. He threw a large bill into the check folder and immediately got up, grabbing his jacket. Jonouchi followed suit, trying not to be obvious about looking at how much money Kaiba just laid down. Apparently they weren’t going to wait to get change because Kaiba took off towards the exit as soon as Jonouchi had his things in his hands. He wasn’t sure if Kaiba was just impatient to get to work, felt like being generous to restaurant, or both.

“I liked that,” Jonouchi told Kaiba once they were inside the car again. “The breakfast. It was nice. I don’t go out that much.”

“It breaks the monotony of a work week,” Kaiba agreed. “Just don’t come to expect it all the time.”

“I wouldn’t have much of a job anymore if you were always taking me out to get coffee instead of the other way around,” Jonouchi joked. “Especially when you finally don’t complain about how I order it.”

“Two sugars and no cream was never that hard to get right in the first place.”

* * *

For the rest of the day, Kaiba tried to focus on his work and not get distracted thinking about Jonouchi or worrying about his brother. Mokuba had a key to his apartment but wasn’t staying there with him; he must have gotten a room somewhere else. That was a blessing and a curse of sorts, because he enjoyed the privacy of not having to worry about Mokuba walking in on something but he was anxious about not knowing just where his brother was once the work day was over.

He had a feeling Mokuba was going to continue pressing for Jonouchi’s release from probation for the entirety of his visit. It seemed silly for him to get so caught up over just one duelist’s career being held back, as if Mokuba didn’t have other more pressing things to worry about, but Kaiba also knew that their battle of wills had very little to do with Jonouchi and everything to do with how Mokuba felt about his return to Kaiba Corp. Since Kaiba had returned, Mokuba had complained about feeling like he was being disrespected.

Kaiba knew that he had crossed a line by removing Jonouchi from his previous career track but it wasn’t like he’d fired him or took away the offer completely. If he’d been behaving more reasonable before, he wouldn’t have done anything about Jonouchi but it was too late to take it all back. Besides, Jonouchi was improving from the little detour, anyway.

Jonouchi seemed fairly content while completing his work, whenever Kaiba had a chance to glance at him. His goofy smile was stuck to his face most of the day and he even looked relaxed while transcribing meeting notes, a chore that was often quite tedious for any assistant. Between meetings, Kaiba didn’t have that many opportunities to watch him but Jonouchi was always some place within the vicinity of his main office.

The night before, Jonouchi had been fairly upset over him still seeing Akikio. Kaiba really didn’t think it should matter; he attracted less unwanted attention from the press when he was dating someone openly but he could understand why Jonouchi felt so jealous. Akikio was unbearably fantastical in nature. It didn’t occur to him that she’d take such a liking to Jonouchi that she’d just spill so many of her crazy ideas but then again, Jonouchi had always had that kind of effect on people. He was able to come off as engaging and likable, and he’d always made friends easily. It used to piss off Kaiba when he was younger but now he was beginning to see how it could also be a strength, being able to influence people into feeling comfortable.

All their intense interactions together were starting to have that effect on Kaiba, and while Kaiba liked the attention, he still wasn’t sure how far he wanted their relationship to go. Jonouchi already managed to get him to agree to a friendship with sexual benefits. That already seemed like a lot to manage, especially since Kaiba really didn’t spend his free time with anyone... when he had free time to give. Personal relationships, whether platonic, sexual or romantic, were something he’d been taught at a young age to be suspicious of.

It was difficult not to like Jonouchi, though. He’d managed to become better looking after high school, and not just because he wasn’t a gangy teenager anymore. He still looked mostly the same, but Kaiba noticed that Jonouchi’s face was less blotchy now and he had dimples when he smiled. Jonouchi also had more defined features too, like a sharper jawline and cheekbones. His eyes had always been bright and warm but now he seemed much more self-assured. When he looked up at Kaiba, he now almost never avoided looking at him directly in the eyes. Kaiba liked that, more than he was willing to admit.

It didn’t hurt either that Jonouchi also was in shape. Kaiba liked how good he looked in a state of undress. Despite still being somewhat wiry in built, Jonouchi managed to have a nice ass and supple back.

His improved grooming habits didn’t hurt, either.

Honestly, Jonouchi was probably the best looking guy on the whole Executive level, at least by Kaiba’s standards. There were only a handful of other men close to their age in the department and most of them looked either too skinny, too short, or too plain to be interesting to Kaiba. They wore clothes that didn’t fit their bodies and got haircuts that didn’t fit their faces. It wasn’t like Kaiba was looking for male employees to ogle at but it was still disappointing that most of the men looked below average.

In sharp contrast, the young women at work almost always outshined the men in professional appearance. There wasn’t one he could really criticized because even if he didn’t consider her his type, she was still putting forth a valiant effort that was noticeable and commendable. Even Asato came in looking trim and fresh each day and she was at least twice the age of the young men surrounding her.

Kaiba had never been enamored with Suzuki; it wasn’t like he was ugly but he was homely looking. He was also tall and lanky, had a nerdy kind of look to him because of his slightly outdated hair cut, and sometimes he wore reading glasses which only made it worse. Kaiba certainly couldn’t blame the guy for having less than perfect vision but he did find him to be pretty average looking by all accounts.

For the life of him, Kaiba couldn’t understand why on earth Jonouchi liked Suzuki so much. Sometimes when he was going to or from his office, he’d look and notice Jonouchi standing around outside of Suzuki’s office, talking to him from the doorway. Kaiba didn’t like noticing but he couldn’t help it. He wasn’t used to the feeling of being jealous of someone else.

Someone who, by all accounts, he shouldn’t have felt so threatened by. Suzuki was successful, but he was neither extremely smart nor very ambitious; he’d probably stay an executive assistant and would replace Asato whenever she decided to leave. He made better money than Jonouchi and had a nicer apartment, but Suzuki was still paid a moderate income and had a small one bedroom apartment through the employee housing program.

He didn’t even duel. What could he and Jonouchi even talk about? Did they have anything in common besides where they worked? Kaiba would watch them sometimes, but he didn’t know what they talked about. He just noticed how Jonouchi laughed whenever Suzuki would say something to him.

Suzuki wasn’t married but Kaiba never got the sense that he was interested in other men. Suzuki was the sort who often brought female dates to formal Kaiba Corporation events and seemed hetero-normative by all accounts. He was fairly boring.

Why did Jonouchi like him so much?

Pushing those negative thoughts aside, Kaiba stayed at work late into the evening. He didn’t leave to go home until it was already dark outside, and he ate alone at a yakitori place for dinner before driving himself home.

As predicted, Mokuba wasn’t at the penthouse and Kaiba found himself completely alone. Their condo was absolutely spectacular; a big, open concept apartment with huge wall to ceiling windows that overlooked the city with a view of the ocean. Everything was new and Kaiba had paid for an interior designer to decorate the place; black suede and brown leather couches, hanging gold-colored ceiling lights, expensive black panel walls, ash colored wood floors and slate grey rugs. All the furniture came as part of a collection, the rooms coordinated into a kind of minimalist yet rustic style.

The interior decorator had taken advantage of all the light and windows. By all accounts, Kaiba should have felt relaxed once at home, but all he could feel was the intense loneliness from being in such a large space all alone.

After taking a long bath, Kaiba sat on his bed with a towel wrapped around his hips and he took out his phone, staring at it longingly before burying himself under his grey sheets.

He wished he knew where Mokuba was. It was so uncomfortable knowing that he was someplace in the city, someplace near home, but he was choosing to stay away and keep distance between them. At work, Kaiba had been curious to know if maybe Mokuba was staying someplace at the Kaiba Hotel, but when he looked into it, the security team hadn’t seen anyone fitting Mokuba’s description there.

Their prolonged feud wasn’t good for him. He wanted to know where Mokuba was, but he didn’t want to text and ask. Mokuba probably wanted him to break down and apologize. His little brother could be so spiteful sometimes, but Kaiba figured he’d just learned from the best. Maybe if he was patient, and distracted himself from feeling so guilty, he’d be able to wait out Mokuba’s tantrum and regain the respect he’d lost by fucking around with Jonouchi’s career.

* * *

Honda had asked Jonouchi early Saturday morning about catching a movie with him and Anzu, and not having any kind of plans, Jonouchi accepted. Yugi was busy running the store and fortunately Anzu had a break from school work to go out with them and do something together as a group.

Jonouchi liked hanging out with them, even if things weren’t exactly the same as they had been as teenagers. Anzu grew out her hair and changed her clothing style, for the better, while Honda still looked clueless and outdated. Maybe the Kaiba Corporation environment was starting to rub off on Jonouchi. It wasn’t usual for him to notice things like fashion trends but now that he was around more young people with the money to buy nice clothes, he started realizing what badly dressed looked like.

It was also nice to go out with his friends because he didn’t want to sit around his apartment thinking about Kaiba. Nothing had happened between them since their breakfast together; Kaiba had a busy schedule and only came out of his office a few times to talk to upper management. Jonouchi hadn’t gotten many chances to watch him, and he had his own workload to worry about since Asato always had him running errands all over different departments since he was the most junior person in their group.

Not that Jonouchi really minded, it made the day go by faster. Asato and Suzuki had to really suffer through difficult administrative work, chained to their desks when they weren’t dealing with temperamental upper executives and department heads. Despite being a woman, Asato was a formidable opponent, operating as the gatekeeper who controlled access to Kaiba Seto’s private space. Nobody could ever just pop their head into his office unless they wanted Asato to chase them down and chastise them relentlessly.

While with his friends, Jonouchi felt conflicted about talking about his time at Kaiba Corp. He certainly wasn’t going to say much about Kaiba, but there were other things that went on in his life that Jonouchi cared about. Sitting wedged between Honda and Anzu in the movie theater, he ate from a huge bag of popcorn in his lap and thought silently about what he’d say. Honda wanted to get burgers after the movie; it would be a chance to tell them about Suzuki and Asato, and maybe even Tanaka if he was feeling up to it. No doubt, Honda would find humor in Jonouchi talking about taking Kaiba’s “girlfriend” on dates for him.

He just had to be careful to not get too emotional talking about her or any of her silly marriage ideas. Going down that path of conversation would be way too uncomfortable for him.

Jonouchi barely reacted to the scary movie they were watching; the movie wasn’t all that good to begin with. Jonouchi’s mind was also back at his apartment, still in bed with Kaiba after intense, satisfyingly rough sex. He still couldn’t believe that Kaiba had agreed to be friends with him. Of course, Jonouchi always knew Kaiba was capable of being a strong friend, he had his good moments before. They were just always overshadowed by his more shitty ones.

He could be so thoughtful and affectionate sometimes. Jonouchi couldn’t make up his mind what he liked better; how passionately Kaiba fucked him during sex or how gentle he’d touch him afterwards. Although Kaiba was getting better, Jonouchi was still too afraid to speak to him during those quieter moments in fear that he might tense up and stop. Kaiba was so weird about that sort of a thing; he desired intimacy but he was so afraid of being vulnerable. Jonouchi wished it could be easier for him.

Slumped in his seat, Jonouchi ate absentmindedly and tried to refocus himself on the movie. Anzu had a jacket pulled up across half her face, looking scared and anxious, while Honda was gapping and dropping pieces of popcorn on his lap. At one point, Jonouchi threw a piece and got it into his mouth before Honda snapped out of it and gave him a dirty look.

Looking behind him, Jonouchi saw that the theater was full. He couldn’t quite shake off a weird feeling that there was some pair of eyes on him. In the dark, it was near impossible trying to make people out. The theater was nearly filled too, making it worse.

“Give me the popcorn!”

Jonouchi turned back around and sighed as he relinquished possession and Honda took it from his hands. He wolfed it down quickly and Jonouchi realized that maybe he should have bought two smaller bags instead of trying to share with the bottomless pit that was Honda’s stomach.

When the movie finished, they all headed out and found a MOS burger. Not really hungry but still open to eating something, Jonouchi just got himself a teriyaki burger while Honda got a spicy MOS cheeseburger and Anzu ordered a chicken burger. Jonouchi actually liked Burger World better but they were nowhere near it, and besides, he’d feel bad being in Yugi’s neighborhood but not stopping by to say hello.

He ate silently while watching Honda and Anzu argue about the movie. Honda liked the twist ending while Anzu didn’t, and they went back and forth about it for sometime before Anzu finally relented and seemed ready to change the subject.

“How are things at Kaiba Corp?”

Jonouchi blinked as he realized he was being spoken to. He paused for a moment, taking a sip from his big Styrofoam cup while trying to think of something appropriate to say.

“It’s not so bad,” Jonouchi answered neutrally, “I think it got easier since I’ve been there for a few months now. The learning curve was steep but I think I get it now.”

“Now that you have an apartment, you need to invite us all over,” Honda mused, “I heard the employee housing is really swanky!”

“I mean, it’s better than most places,” Jonouchi sighed, “Although my apartment is pretty small. I could barely fit myself with another person there.”

Kaiba was the only other person he’d ever had over. He was so big and tall, it felt cramped when they both had been there. Kaiba was over six feet tall and he could barely fit the bed and sofa. Honda would no doubt have the same issues if he ever tried coming over.

“The building is really nice though. It’s got a fitness center in the basement.”

“Do you even have time to work out though?” asked Honda. “Whenever I try calling you, you sound exhausted.”

“Well, I’ve thought about using the gym during the morning,” Jonouchi mused, “I don’t really mind waking up early. I get home too late to do it any other time, and my lunch hour is usually weird because of Kaiba’s schedule. I typically have to get him his lunch first before I can go get mine, if he even decides to eat anything...”

Jonouchi paused, feeling slightly alarmed. That revelation just sort of slipped out. It was less awkward talking about his work life when he didn’t mention Kaiba. Honda immediately started smirking, while Anzu sighed. Jonouchi could feel the invasive questions coming.

“How did you manage not to get fired if you deal with Kaiba directly every day?” snickered Honda. “Aren’t you his assistant or something?”

Jonouchi shook his head, immediately feeling a little offended by the question. “There’s three of us, and I deal with him the least. I’m more of his assistant’s assistant, if anything. I rarely ever see him.”

That was a lie, Jonouchi saw him all the time, but he did help Asato the most. While his position was technically Kaiba’s junior executive assistant, most of the important work that was necessary for assisting Kaiba came from Asato or Suzuki, who had more experience, training, and actual degrees in business management.

Sometimes Suzuki would show Jonouchi how to do something more difficult but Jonouchi still mostly just stuck to the organizing of paperwork for meetings, physical errands inside Kaiba Corp and around the city, collecting and sorting through Kaiba’s mail, and dealing with Kaiba’s personal requests for food and/or coffee. He was overlooked by almost everyone else, especially the hovering upper executives who always wanted to just “have a quick chat” with Kaiba when they thought Asato or Suzuki wasn’t around to stop them.

“Do you... like your job?” asked Anzu. She was far more tactful than Honda was. Honda had a shit eating grin across his face, as if he was taking some kind of sick joy from Jonouchi’s predicament. Anzu was at least sympathetic to Jonouchi’s situation.

“It’s okay. I didn’t like it at first,” Jonouchi admitted, “I would never choose to work in an office if I had any real choice in the matter, it can be so boring yet extremely stressful, especially because of how big the corporation is. I had no idea it would be so complicated, especially during departmental meetings. I’ve never heard so many backhanded insults being hurled at people so quickly before.”

“Well, you know what Kaiba is like,” muttered Honda. “He’s always looking to go after someone.”

“It’s not just Kaiba,” Jonouchi corrected. “Most of the time, he’s the one trying to be the calmest person in the room.”

Jonouchi wouldn’t admit it but many of the insults were being hurled at Kaiba himself, which was shocking to hear the first few times. No wonder Mokuba came back to sit through the meetings as support, it was clear to Jonouchi that Kaiba disappearing to duel Atem had caused more trouble than it was worth. No one seemed ready to forgive him yet, and maybe some people thought Kaiba’s commitment to the company wasn’t what it should be.

“Have you met any interesting girls?” asked Anzu.

Jonouchi laughed to himself at that question, not because he hadn’t met any women, but because he didn’t pay much attention to them. There were some pretty receptionists who worked the front desk in his department, but he didn’t talk to them much since Asato was always watching him like a hawk. Suzuki got away with socializing with them more than he did, and honestly now that he liked Kaiba, he wasn’t all that determined to get to know them personally anymore.

“I bet there’s all sorts of hot girls working at Kaiba Corp,” gushed Honda, “I wouldn’t want Jonouchi’s job in a million years but I wouldn’t pass down a chance to work at Kaiba Corp doing something else, just so I could be around women in pencil skirts all day. You can always tell when a woman on the subway or bus works at Kaiba Corp, they always dress the best and look like supermodels.”

Jonouchi rolled his eyes. It was true that the women at Kaiba Corp usually looked good, most of them were middle-class people who dressed nice and had gone to college, but there were also older women like Asato who were old enough to be his mother.

“It’s not like some kind of a hostess club in there, Honda,” laughed Jonouchi. “Yeah, there’s some hot women working there but there’s also plenty of plain and ugly women too. Like any other office. Everyone there is pretty smart and capable, I can’t imagine anyone making it through the interviewing process solely on their sexual appeal.”

Honda shrugged before taking a bite out of his hamburger.

“Know any girls you could try hooking me up with?”

“No,” replied Jonouchi in an irritated voice, “Anyone I might introduce you to would probably refuse to speak to me again if I did.”

A tiny part of Jonouchi wanted to bring up what was happening with Kaiba, without telling his friends who he was talking about. He hadn’t told any of them that he was even interested in men sexually; he only told Yugi once while drunk because Yugi was feeling depressed about missing Atem. It seemed likely to Jonouchi at the time that maybe Yugi’s feelings for Atem ran a little deeper than just friendship, and Jonouchi thought that maybe by sharing some of his own secrets, Yugi would feel less alone.

He had no desire to tell Honda about his bisexuality, though. Honda was such an ass, and Jonouchi knew he wouldn’t understand.

“There’s an accountant that I like and sometimes talk to when I get the chance,” Jonouchi lied. “She’s really high in seniority, and I want to ask her on a date but I don’t know if that’s really a good idea. I mean, I’m super junior to everyone and I don’t even plan to stay where I am so there’s probably no point in trying. I still want to go to California when I get done with my probation.”

Honda immediately started laughing, “You always had a thing for older women.”

Shooting Honda a glare, Jonouchi tried to think of something smart to say, and failing that, he took a fry from Honda and threw it at his face.

“Anyway, back to what I was saying before,” he began again, “I like this person but I’m not sure if I should try asking her out. I know she likes me but what would be the point of it if I am going to leave in two months?”

Anzu frowned, sipping her drink while Honda inhaled the rest of his burger. It sounded really sad, the way Jonouchi had explained his predicament. He was already far beyond asking for a first date; he and Kaiba had stayed over at each other’s places and had unprotected sex. Jonouchi knew it was stupid of them both, but he didn’t have any condoms in his apartment.

He also highly doubted Kaiba, distrusting and cautious as he was about people, would have managed to catch anything from his previous partners. Jonouchi didn’t want to leave him, but he also didn’t want to remain working under him at the office for much longer if he didn’t have to, either.

There was really no way to have both the professional dueling career he’d been dreaming of and the kind of relationship he thought Kaiba had the potential to give him.

Feeling depressed, Jonouchi took a bite out of his own burger before sighing. He stared at the remainder of his food forlornly when suddenly he heard obnoxious voices in the restaurant, breaking his concentration. When he looked up, he saw a small group of young men, all of them dressed up a bit like thugs. Frowning, Jonouchi could feel his stomach drop to his feet suddenly, and he had the instant urge to bolt. The guys in the group stared at Jonouchi openly, like they recognized him, and Jonouchi would have thought about taking off if he hadn’t had Anzu and Honda with him.

“I think we need to get out of here now,” he muttered quietly to Anzu, “Don’t look at them. We can grab some snacks on the way back to Honda’s place.”

Anzu shook her head in agreement and quickly gathered her things. Honda looked annoyed until he glanced at the group of men; he picked up his shit quickly once he realized that they really were being watched.

Jonouchi didn't feel comfortable again until they were all sitting in the back of a bus, far away from MOS Burger. He had to throw away some of his food, and he felt bad for Honda, who didn’t even get a chance to eat his fries. Anzu looked shaken, and he didn’t really know what to say about the situation because he only had a really bad feeling about who those guys might have been involved with.

If those men had been from Jonouchi’s junior high, Honda would have recognized them but he had never seen those guys before. Still, they all seemed interested in watching Jonouchi, completely brazen about staring at him. It was entirely possible that they had followed them from the movie theater, there was no way Jonouchi would have noticed them in the dark, and maybe Hirutani had put them up to it.

He was still working at shady clubs, which meant he probably was also working with equally shady people. Another thing for Jonouchi to worry about.

When they reached Honda’s place, Jonouchi decided not to risk going home that night and stayed over, sleeping on Honda’s couch. It bummed him out because he had his own place (a much nicer place!) but he also felt too cheap to pay for a taxi and he didn’t want to risk getting jumped by a bunch of punks late at night. He had no idea what Hirutani was playing at anymore, and it was best until he did know to just lie low and not get caught unawares past dark.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay.

When another work week began, Kaiba made it his goal to be cordial around Jonouchi. He meant to follow through with Jonouchi’s request; Kaiba hadn’t really heckled Jonouchi that hard after the first month of him working in the office, but Kaiba still tried to make a better effort to be polite whenever he stopped by his desk. He wasn’t used to self-censoring his bad impulses, and having to change his negative social habits made Kaiba realize just how much of an ass he was to his staff sometimes.

He also tried to keep focused on his work. Although Jonouchi was usually the first person he saw each day because Jonouchi always delivered his coffee and schedule, Kaiba spent much more time with Asato, planning together on a proposal to move forward with the new duel disk. Although the board of directors still remained hesitant to support him, Kaiba wasn’t going to allow anyone to stand in his way of pushing the company further. Technology was the keystone to Kaiba Corporation, and he knew that they would all be doomed if they didn’t stay on top of the innovation.

Especially since so many other companies were trying to copy what he had created with the original duel disk. Already, the corporation’s legal team was constantly having to deal with intellectual property theft in China; the only way to really separate the authentic Kaiba Corp duel disks from the counterfeit ones was to ensure that the fake ones remained obsolete and difficult to manufacture.

There were other technological projects he was supporting that were coming out of R&D (as well as from his own personal laboratory) but the duel disk was his main priority. Improving the realism features on the platform dueling arenas was also important but there really weren’t that many new gaming centers trying to buy platforms when so many customers had already managed to buy duel disks for their own personal use. However, it was just good to keep things updated so the Kaiba Corp brand remained competitive and innovative. Most official dueling competitions were still played using a platform arena, too.

Near the end of the week, another departmental party had been planned. A senior manager was retiring and his staff had been planning a farewell party for him at a restaurant. Usually Kaiba found retirement celebrations boring, but he was obligated to attend and knowing that Jonouchi would probably be there too, it didn’t seem so terrible spending an evening being able to drink and watch him. Maybe he’d even be able to catch him after the event was over, so they could go someplace else in town and be able to talk alone.

They hadn’t been alone with each other since last week, when Kaiba had bought him breakfast. It seemed like a long time now.

The week was so busy, thankfully the days seemed to fly by. Kaiba survived the multiple meetings he had to endure, Mokuba finally reappearing before a big departmental meeting with all the directors. They didn’t have much time to talk; Kaiba wanted to speak to him privately but he still felt too stung to really ask him to come back home with him. It was beginning to feel like Mokuba was trying to wear him out. Ever since finding out about Jonouchi, Mokuba no longer looked at him the same way and seemed uninterested in being around Kaiba for any kind of sustained interaction.

When the night of the party finally came, Kaiba was relieved by the chance to be around someone who really enjoyed his company. Jonouchi had admitted before that he liked him, in no uncertain terms. Despite that admittance, Jonouchi didn’t really betray his feelings at work when Kaiba stole glances. He hoped being at a party would be different. Jonouchi was always more relaxed while eating, and he talked quite a lot when he was drunk. It was nice because then Kaiba didn’t have to do much to start or continue a conversation. Jonouchi always seemed to have something funny or interesting to say.

To Kaiba’s absolute dismay, however, Jonouchi never showed up at the party. He waited silently all night, watching the entrance and when Suzuki had arrived and taken the seat next to Kaiba, it occurred to him finally that Jonouchi was skipping for some reason.

Kaiba couldn’t imagine why he’d do that. Jonouchi showed up to every event before, even the ones for people he’d only met once. Usually he always came with Suzuki, or someone else from their group, and after waiting for two hours, Kaiba realized he wasn’t coming at all. Did he have plans with his friends? Didn’t seem likely, it wasn’t the weekend and Kaiba knew Yugi was working full time at the Kame Game Shop. He also thought that maybe Jonouchi might just be too tired to attend, but Jonouchi almost never seemed tired. He was always energized, especially while in a group.

Kaiba sulked. He tried not to touch his drink too much since Suzuki was watching like a hawk, waiting to refill his glass. For once, he had no intentions of being buzzed that night.

He left early and felt irritated the whole ride home. A small tinge of fear had gripped him, flooding his mind with uncertainty as he began believing that maybe Jonouchi was trying to avoid him. The fear didn’t seem logical or rational, since Jonouchi liked him and said he liked spending time with him, but maybe Jonouchi had changed his mind or was feeling weird about them and their relationship. Kaiba knew Jonouchi was emotional, more emotional than he was, and he seemed to let his feelings yank him around.

Jonouchi acted normal in the office, but that didn’t really mean anything. He knew how to fake it till he made it. Kaiba had seen him put on a happy face to get through an uncomfortable scenario many times before.

Was Kaiba supposed to go after him? Seemed likely. Kaiba had been the pursuer since the beginning. He was used to being direct about getting what he wanted from people, it had always worked out well for him. Nobody ever told him no anymore, no one except for maybe his board and sometimes Asato, because it was her job to keep him grounded. Jonouchi, even at his most angry and rebellious, was still almost always receptive to him. Outside of that one blunder he’d made while drunk, Jonouchi had never rejected his advances.

Maybe Kaiba would have to step up his game. He couldn’t just assume Jonouchi would always be available to him.

He still felt tense all day waiting for an opening. When Jonouchi came by in the morning with the coffee and schedule, Kaiba didn’t say much of anything. Between being disappointed over Jonouchi’s absence and thinking about what he had to accomplish that day, Kaiba tried to push his feelings aside until his lunch hour. He was quick to change into his work out clothes, and once alone in the gym, jogging on the treadmill, he allowed himself to come up with an excuse to get Jonouchi out of the office to spend time with him.

Because of Jonouchi’s position, he really didn’t have much of a choice but to agree to whatever Kaiba demanded of him. Kaiba didn’t want to abuse his power, and he really regretted his previous schemes where he’d managed to get Jonouchi at his condo. It just felt extremely sleezy now. He didn’t want Jonouchi to feel entrapped by him, and he now cared a lot about what Jonouchi thought of him.

It felt weird; he really wanted to try something like a date. As close to a date as he could manage, while keeping their relationship under the radar.

When Kaiba finished his workout, he took a quick shower before redressing in more casual clothes. His hair was still slightly damp when he got back to his office, and he noticed Jonouchi sitting at his desk working on some kind of stack of papers while passing by.

Jonouchi had looked up and smiled at him. When they locked eyes, Kaiba could feel heat rushing through his entire body and he didn’t feel relaxed again until he was inside his office with the door shut.

How ridiculous. Kaiba sat down to work a little while longer but eventually he couldn’t stay concentrated on his work, and getting up from his seat, he left his office. Looking out beyond the short hallway, he could see Jonouchi’s station in front of Asato and Suzuki’s office. He was still at his desk, flipping through papers. When Jonouchi glanced at him, Kaiba finally kicked himself inwardly and forced himself to approach his desk.

He had such a long stride, it only took seconds until he was in front of Jonouchi, looking down at his work. It appeared like he was looking at status updates for a recent research project. To Kaiba’s eyes, it looked like busy work. It could wait.

“How busy right now are you?”

Jonouchi’s eyes widened and his face looked slightly befuddled as the wheels in his head seemed to turn. He glanced back at Asato’s office, and after looking back up at Kaiba, he answered.

“Asato-sama wants me to finish this paperwork by the end of the day. I’m still working through it.”

“Is Suzuki busy?”

“Well, yes, I mean, he’s working in his office,” Jonouchi replied.

His voice sounded anxious and Kaiba could tell that his intensity was making Jonouchi nervous. He took a step back from his desk and picked up one of Jonouchi’s pens to examine it.

“That doesn’t exactly mean he’s busy. I’m done working for the day and I want to go downtown and find some new clothes this afternoon. Give whatever you have left to Suzuki; you’re coming with me.”

Jonouchi’s eyes immediately lit up. He nearly jumped out of his chair, grabbing the papers and turning towards Suzuki’s desk quickly before Kaiba spoke up again.

“I’m going to close my office and send Asato an email,” Kaiba continued, “Meet me at my car in fifteen minutes.”

“I’ll be ready,” Jonouchi chirped back.

He fought back a smile. Jonouchi looked ready to bolt out of there and Kaiba couldn’t really blame him; afternoons always went by slowly. Kaiba didn’t expect any of his assistants to stay up as late as he did most weekday nights but still, he could understand Jonouchi’s desire to get out of there. The office wasn’t horrible, but Jonouchi wasn’t really made for paperwork. He always looked slightly put out while doing it.

Kaiba quickly returned to his office and shot an email to Asato, explaining Jonouchi’s future absence. Suzuki would end up being inconvenienced, unfairly too, but Kaiba didn’t really care or feel too bad about it. He rarely sprang last minute bullshit on him, and he was already annoyed with Suzuki’s existence to begin with.

Annoyed for a stupid, silly reason, but annoyed none the less.

It was so absurd to feel jealous over a man he had complete control over, who had significantly less wealth, power, or intelligence, all because Jonouchi seemed to like him. Kaiba knew what jealousy felt like, but he’d never felt it over a romantic interest before. Seeing Suzuki around the office didn’t even bother him; it was seeing how Jonouchi would sometimes look at Suzuki that would bother him. It made Kaiba worry that maybe he had something that Kaiba was sorely lacking.

Kaiba wasn’t sure yet what that thing was, but he continued to feel weird whenever he saw them near each other.

When Kaiba got to his car in the garage, Jonouchi was already waiting for him. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, looking excited as Kaiba approached. It had been sometime since they’d been alone together and Kaiba could feel Jonouchi’s eager energy as they got into the car together. He didn’t even manage to get the key into the ignition before Jonouchi started talking.

“If you wanted to hang out with me, why didn’t you just ask before?” he started. “I would have given you my phone number if you had ever bothered asking me for it.”

“It’s more fun surprising you like this,” Kaiba snickered, “Besides, I don’t like texting.”

“You could just call me like a normal person, I’m not asking for much,” Jonouchi argued. “I haven’t seen you in like, a week? In the future, you don’t need to create work-related excuses to get me to spend time with you.”

Kaiba began to pull out of the parking spot, avoiding Jonouchi’s intense gaze as he watched behind the car. Since it was still early in the afternoon, traffic wouldn’t be too terrible, but he’d still have to figure out parking before they’d be able to go to the department store Kaiba liked. As much as he enjoyed eccentric outfits, there was a time and a place for showing off. While at home or working in the office, comfort and durability was more important to him than extreme self-expression.

Kaiba remembered the last enkai event, sitting alone and feeling disappointed.

“Why didn’t you go to the retirement party last week?”

“Oh, yeah, I meant to,” Jonouchi answered weakly. “Just, something came up. I wasn’t trying to disappear on you or anything like that.”

Driving down the ramps, Kaiba said nothing in reply. He wondered what Jonouchi referred to when he said “something came up” but he knew it wasn’t really his business to ask. Besides, Jonouchi sounded a little strained while explaining himself, so it couldn’t have been anything he wanted to share.

“I thought you didn’t like those silly parties, anyway,” Jonouchi started to tease, his voice flipping back to it’s normal cheery tone, “You always look so miserable at them. Office parties are honestly not my favorite way to spend a Thursday night but it can be fun to get closer to your co-workers. I like a lot of the people who work on our floor. I know you aren’t really supposed to get close to your subordinates, but you do have some pretty interesting people working for you. People who you have probably never even talked to.”

“Yeah, like who?”

Kaiba didn’t think Suzuki was interesting. Neither was Asato, really. They were both very competent but also perfectly average people, normal by all counts. If they possessed any kind of a double life, they never gave anything away to Kaiba.

“Hana, the quiet girl who works at the front desk, just won her first city tournament last week in Chiba. She’s been practicing for years and was always afraid of competing because she admired you so much. She told me at a party that she once had a poster of you in her bedroom while she was in college.”

Briefly glancing at Jonouchi, Kaiba scoffed. He didn’t feel a need to know every person who worked for him so personally. He definitely didn’t want to know which women in his office had once had a crush on him. Thinking about strangers having posters with his face on them was weird. Of course Kaiba knew they existed but it wasn’t something he ever wanted to think about too hard about.

“Most people who work at Kaiba Corporation like duel monsters.”

“Yeah, I know, but still,” Jonouchi argued, “You’d feel a lot less lonely if you tried talking to people more often. I mean, a girl working at the front desk is the least likely person in the world to try deceiving you or some shit.”

“You think I’m scared of other people?”

Jonouchi shrugged his shoulders, crossing his arms against his chest. He played around with the question a tad longer than Kaiba liked.

“Maybe scared is the wrong word, but I definitely think you are overly cautious.”

Kaiba rolled his eyes at the answer.

“I have every reason to be.”

Jonouchi went quiet. For a while Kaiba just focused on driving, having to think about where he was going and watching out for construction workers on the street, but eventually he started glancing in Jonouchi’s direction. He was leaning against the window, playing with his phone. It looked like texting. His mouth was developing into a smirk before he let out a small laugh.

Kaiba turned his eyes back on the road. Although he was slightly curious, he decided not to pry. He didn’t mind the silence, it wasn’t awkward or weird. It was almost nice, even. Jonouchi was wearing some kind of familiar cologne that Kaiba liked and he was quiet enough with his little snickers of amusement to not be all that annoying.

It was a shame that Kaiba couldn’t really study him, not while he was driving the car. They eventually came upon the right area of town and Kaiba found the basement garage where they needed to park. Jonouchi’s concentration on his phone broke when they headed down into the parking lot; his eyes grew big as the car suddenly was covered in darkness and fluorescent lights shone through the windows. They went down three levels before Kaiba found a safe parking spot, where he wouldn’t have to worry about his nice car getting dinged.

They left the vehicle together and Kaiba led the way into the shopping mall. He’d only been there a few times himself; usually he ordered his clothes online or had a personal shopper get things for him. It didn’t make much sense to waste his own time looking for clothes when he had more important things to do; besides, nearly everything he bought always had to be tailored to fit anyway. Kaiba was not only taller than most men but his body was also way more muscular. He had always struggled to find clothes that fit him well since becoming an adult.

The store was huge, bigger than Kaiba remembered. There were quite a few people inside shopping there too; couples and older women moved around in groups or pairs, holding shopping bags and examining different mannequin displays. There wasn’t a ton of retail hanging on the racks, because a lot of the clothes being sold were either couture or extremely high end. When Kaiba glanced around the section, he could see a corner that was filled with new fur coats, the entire section for women. Winter was coming and Kaiba couldn’t make up his mind if he wanted to replace his goose-down parka or not.

Glancing back at Jonouchi, he smirked as he realized just how sticker shocked Jonouchi was. Kaiba did think it was rather ridiculous how much the clothes could cost, but sometimes the quality really was superior. He didn’t make it a habit of buying stupid shit just to show off.

“We can eat an early dinner if you want after I find what I’m looking for,” Kaiba offered.

He wasn’t quite sure yet just what he was looking for at the mall. His plan had mostly been to get Jonouchi out of the office, so they could spend time together. He didn’t really consider his clothes while coming up with the plan.

“Let’s go find the men’s athletic wear section.”

They had to walk across the women’s coats to find the middle of the building, where glass elevators gracefully lifted up and down from the balconied atrium. A huge courtyard sat at the bottom floor of the building while a glass dome was fixed at the very top of the ceiling. There were at least seven levels, each stacked on top of each other with escalators intertwining through the middle of the building. Kaiba knew there were at least three upscale restaurants somewhere inside, as well as two cafes and a premium candy shop.

They had to ride up three levels to reach the men’s athletic wear department. Kaiba wasn’t entirely inspired by the selection of clothes; he didn’t need to replace anything yet but he could certainly find some things to buy anyway just so he could feel less silly about spiriting Jonouchi away to the mall. Most of what he wore to the gym was shades of black, grey, or sometimes white. He looked through some tops and grabbed the most promising looking long sleeve workout shirts before turning his attention to a gigantic wall of vanity running shoes. Most of it looked like useless stuff but it seemed to grasp Jonouchi’s attention as he snatched random shoes off the wall and checked their price tags.

“I fucking love sneakers,” he gasped, “These would take me almost half a fucking year to save up for!”

He angrily put a shoe back down, looking offended at the price tag.

“I could never rationalize buying something that expensive. Not a pair of shoes.”

“They probably wouldn’t hold up if you actually wore them,” Kaiba interjected, “Don’t people buy these things just to collect them? Seems ridiculous to me, shoes like this are supposed to be for working out in.”

“But that’s not the point,” Jonouchi whined. “You don’t wear a shoe like this to the gym.”

Kaiba cocked an eyebrow, amused by Jonouchi’s tone. Clearly he had strong opinions about this sort of thing.

“Then what’s the point?”

“The point? The point is to look cool,” snorted Jonouchi. “I would have killed to have any of these back in high school.”

There was a pair of Y-3’s that Jonouchi just couldn’t stop staring at. The price tag was well over 55,000 yen. Kaiba knew Jonouchi didn’t have that kind of money. He watched as Jonouchi’s eyes kept flickering back and forth to the shoes; it was pretty clear that they’d caught his eye and he couldn’t stop himself from becoming infatuated with them.

“I like fashion, but this stuff isn’t my kind of aesthetic.”

“Oh, I’m well aware of that,” Jonouchi replied teasingly, “You like to dress up more unconventionally than the rest of us.”

“When you have a brand to maintain,” Kaiba answered, rolling his eyes, “You take more consideration into the way you present yourself to the world and what message you are trying to send. If you want to be memorable, you better be prepared to shock people out of their apathy and force them to notice you.

“Besides, I know I look good in the clothes I wear.”

“I wish I had your confidence,” laughed Jonouchi. “I couldn’t get away with wearing half of your outfits. Especially the leather pants.”

When they turned away from the shoes section, Kaiba made a mental note to remember the sneakers that Jonouchi was so interested in...

* * *

Walking around the mall with Kaiba was interesting, to say the least. Jonouchi had gone shopping with Yugi, Anzu, and Honda before in the past and it was never all that exciting but watching Kaiba go through clothes was quite incredible. He seemed very picky, putting stuff back because he didn’t like the type of fiber used, or found fault with the stitching, or even just didn’t like the quality of thread that was used. He was more selective than Anzu, who Jonouchi always thought was pretty mindful about what she bought.

Kaiba was fairly vocal about sharing his opinions, too. He didn’t like bold prints, loose cuts, or camo. Within an hour of shopping, Jonouchi knew all of Kaiba’s attitudes about the current trends in men’s clothing and what fashion designers he thought were worth buying from. The names escaped him but Jonouchi could remember seeing certain outfits that Kaiba liked while they passed different maniquins set up around the store. Unsurprisingly, Kaiba seemed to stick to solid dark colors like black, grey and blue, while also sometimes showing interest in red or white.

When they finished, Kaiba had bought two workout shirts, a sherpa leather jacket, three new ties and a pair of new shoes. It was absolutely incredible; Jonouchi had never seen any person blow through so much money so quickly in his entire life. He also had an idea that Kaiba probably earned all of it and more back within ten minutes of paying at the register.

“Are you interested in having dinner?” asked Kaiba after putting his wallet away.

Jonouchi snorted. How was that even a question? Of course he was interested in dinner. He was always interested in dinner.

“Yeah but I can’t afford to eat from any place around this area.”

“I wasn’t going to ask you to have dinner with me and then leave you in a lurch,” said Kaiba in an annoyed tone, “I know how much you make. I was planning to buy you dinner.”

“Well, I will never turn down free food. You knew that.”

Kaiba smirked as they reached the middle of the mall again. They’d have to ride to the sixth floor to reach the restaurant Kaiba had seemed interested in; the place had a French sounding name Jonouchi never heard of before. When he asked about it, Kaiba said it was “French-Japanese fusion”. Jonouchi was a fairly adventurous eater but that just sounded all sorts of bizarre to him. He didn’t understand why anyone would think to mesh those particular food cultures but if Kaiba recommended it, he wasn’t going to complain. He’d try to keep an open mind.

The restaurant was lit dark but looked very elegant. There was expensive mahogany furniture and stark white tablecloths set up in a beautifully decorated room, the whole place was contemporary in style. All the wait staff were in crisp black uniforms and the tables were lit with tea candles and there were elaborate lights hanging from the ceiling. Jonouchi was thankful that he had come from work, or else he would have felt extremely under dressed in his normal clothes. There were already a small crowd of people dining there, mostly older folks but he noticed when a few younger women recognized Kaiba.

He felt extremely nervous when he thought one of the women might have noticed him. Immediately he turned away his face, trying to avoid being identified.

When they were taken to their table, Jonouchi made sure to sit so his back was to the middle of the room. Although he hated feeling exposed, he worried even more about being studied by strangers. People knew about his grudge against Kaiba, it had been made public for years. Kaiba had snubbed him at a competition not that long ago, and the last thing either of them needed was some fan watching them and trying to study what was going on between them.

Jonouchi tried to keep the discomfort off his face. He didn’t want Kaiba trying to read his mind, either.

Opening the menu, Jonouchi quickly felt out of his element. He understood dishes like croquettes and the like but he felt intimidated by the intense descriptions. Game meat, truffles on roe, foie gras, terrine; he had zero experience with any of it. Hungry but also afraid of a challenging dinner, Jonouchi decided to try the Japanese-style carbonara. It wasn’t French but it was pasta, and it took effort to fuck up pasta.

Kaiba went light and ordered a Salad Nicoise. It sounded boring until it was delivered to their table; dark red seared tuna steak on top of a bed of fresh greens, tomatoes, green beans, roasted potatoes, olives, and diced hard boiled eggs.

Jonouchi felt like a glutton in comparison; his plate of pasta was quite large and fairly decadent looking. ‘ _Pollock roe cured with chili create a rich, buttery bottarga sauce_ ’ was the description on the menu. The actual meal tasted surprisingly delicious. He couldn’t imagine trying to replicate it at home, the ingredients were too strange and expensive, so he tried to eat slowly to savor the taste.

He broke from his concentration when Kaiba made an offhand remark that interested him.

“-now that we are in October, I wonder who will be in charge of planning my birthday party this year, I really hope it isn’t some boring old hack from Marketing. I’d prefer it if Asato handled it but she’s probably too busy to plan a corporate-wide party...”

“Wait,” Jonouchi spoke up, “Your birthday is coming up?”

“Yes, October 25th.”

Kaiba picked up his glass of water and drank a sip before putting it down.

“I don’t really like to advertise it”

“Well, I still feel dumb for not knowing,” Jonouchi remarked. “Why don’t you mark it on your calendar?”

“Because I don’t like being reminded of it and Asato always remembers for me,” Kaiba answered in an irritated tone, “I wouldn’t bother with it but Mokuba thinks the parties are good for morale.”

Jonouchi frowned.

“So you’re saying your birthday is a big deal at work but you planned on not telling me about it?”

“It’s not a big deal, someone would have told you eventually.”

Jonouchi’s face crumbled up at that. He knew Kaiba was weird about stuff, a lot of stuff, but he didn’t understand why he’d dismiss his own birthday. Especially when so many people apparently looked forward to it. Although Jonouchi didn’t speak to his parents, he still looked forward to his birthday; sometimes Shizuka would take a train and visit him. Yugi’s mom would bake a cake for him and invite all his friends over. He didn’t let his shitty parents ruin it for him.

“What kind of party do you want?” Jonouchi asked. “Did you have an idea in mind?”

“I don’t really like parties,” Kaiba sighed, “Anything with an open bar sounds good enough to me.”

“Jeez, you make it sound so depressing,” snickered Jonouchi.

He sipped his water while glancing up to study Kaiba’s face. His expression looked neutral although Kaiba’s eyes were sharp. Jonouchi was glad that Kaiba didn’t appear bothered talking about it, Jonouchi didn’t want to unintentionally dig at a sore spot of his.

“You could do anything you want,” Jonouchi stressed, “And you have no ideas at all? What do they usually do for your birthday?”

“Someone rents a fancy banquet hall and all salaried staff members get invited to attend. There’s an open bar, sometimes live music and karaoke,” Kaiba explained. “It’s all pretty boring. They always seem to forget how young I actually am and how lame I find formal gatherings. People just fall back into old habits. They always plan according to what he liked....”

He had to mean Gozaburo. Jonouchi could remember seeing him on business magazine covers when he was younger; of course a man of his age wouldn’t mind a big, stuffy party, sucking up all the attention. Gozaburo seemed like the type who liked to smoke his cigar into people’s faces and enjoyed making his underlings squirm.

Jonouchi could tell from how the older staff spoke about pre-Kaiba Seto times that nobody really liked him. At work the older employees, if they did speak about Kaiba Gozaburo, never spoke positively about his time as CEO. Jonouchi considered Seto to be a difficult boss to work under considering how prickly he could be when in a bad mood; Gozaburo had to be absolute hell to deal with.

“Why don’t you suggest something different then? Your theme park is big and has lots of room, you could ask someone to plan a party there,” Jonouchi suggested. “Going on VR rides and playing duel monsters sounds more fun than standing around in a stuffy room getting stalked by drunk senior executives.”

“That’s certainly an idea,” Kaiba replied tacitly, “We could open our newest attraction at the party before it becomes open to the public. It would give a lot of staff the chance to see the park when it isn’t crowded with people.”

Jonouchi liked the idea of that, although he didn’t think he’d tell Kaiba just how many times he’d been to KaibaLand before. When he was younger, he tried his hardest to avoid it after having met Kaiba personally, but after a while, his determination to boycott the park had wavered and Yugi successfully convinced him to try all the new horror rides during last year’s big Halloween event. After that, he’d gotten a park pass from Honda for his birthday and went nearly two dozen times before running into Kaiba again.

Domino City was a large city but there still wasn’t that wide a range of entertainment options around that appealed to Jonouchi’s tastes. He also didn’t have the money to take a train out of town and go see Tokyo Disney or some other popular theme park. Not while he was trying to pay for dueling tournaments and new cards all the time. KaibaLand was big; it had large outdoor grounds that largely focused on young children and thrill rides but it also had a very cool indoor portion of the park that focused on virtual reality rides that appealed to teenagers and young adults. Most of them were either horror or sci fi inspired, which intrigued Jonouchi despite how easily he usually got scared by stuff.

There was also the dueling amphitheater, which had several smaller playing arenas where people could practice or compete in city-level tournaments. Jonouchi couldn’t complain about the place, even if he didn't used to like who the park was named after. Surprisingly, Kaiba’s image was used at a bare minimum in the park’s advertisements so Jonouchi could pretend for a time that he was just at some generic fun place. He didn’t really see a lot of Kaiba unless a tournament was coming up, although Kaiba wasn’t the only big name duelist KaibaLand used in their PR campaigns. He saw Mai many times as well.

Jonouchi was glad he had that old grudge out of his system. It wasn’t healthy to hate someone so intensely for so long. Kaiba had been insufferable but Jonouchi brought on a lot of the vitriol from how badly behaved he was any time he got within Kaiba’s vicinity. He really had no self control before Mokuba hired him and he was forced to suck it up.

Kaiba had changed the conversation to something else, and while Jonouchi still wanted to brainstorm party ideas, he didn’t mind. He’d already gotten a ton of information from Kaiba, information he’d willingly given out. It was probably more than anyone else knew, since Jonouchi doubted he shared many of his personal feelings with his employees at work. Maybe Kaiba thought it was better to just grin and bare it rather than tell people that their parties sucked.

The conversation was now Kaiba’s opinions about foreign investment in some South Korean amusement park that was being built by the Chinese. Kaiba was always so passionate while speaking about things that affected his company. While Jonouchi didn’t always have the expertise to understand all the details of whatever Kaiba was lecturing about, he could understand the overall issue.

At work, he’d been forced to learn a little about international competitors and how Japan was falling behind in the entertainment industry, especially against China. Many heated meetings had been over Kaiba’s fear of falling behind Chinese parks and their innovation. He’d also complained plenty about intellectual theft. If Jonouchi ever wanted to rile Kaiba up on purpose for amusement, all he had to do was bring up counterfeit duel disks at official DM tournaments and watch Kaiba spiral into a scathing diatribe.

When dinner started to wind down, Jonouchi suddenly felt uncomfortable as he began to worry about returning to his apartment complex. He knew Hirutani was watching him; it was already dark and Jonouchi did not want to run into any trouble. Kaiba had finished eating and already paid the bill. Anxious, Jonouchi went quiet for a moment, mulling over his predicament before he broke the silence.

“Would you mind if I stayed the night with you?”

Kaiba blinked, looking a little caught off guard by the question. Jonouchi bit his lower lip when he didn’t reply right away; maybe he had other plans. He knew Kaiba stayed up late working, probably brought stuff home with him since he couldn’t possibly finish everything in the office, especially with all the meetings. Even if Jonouchi tried not to be a nuance, Kaiba would definitely be distracted by his presence and maybe he didn’t want someone wandering around his private residence.

“I won’t be able to entertain you,” Kaiba cautioned, “I have work I must finish tonight when I return home.”

“Kaiba, I’m not a child. I can handle being left to fend for myself,” answered back Jonouchi with a touch of snark, “I’ll keep out of your hair, I promise.”

Kaiba gave him a dubious look but he didn't reject the request.

“I can take you back to work early tomorrow. I highly doubt Mokuba will be stopping by anytime soon, he’s been staying someplace else since returning home,” Kaiba complained. “It’ll be a welcome change not being alone in that giant penthouse another night. Just be careful if he does happen to surprise us all and show up suddenly.”

Jonouchi couldn’t imagine how well that would turn out. Mokuba seemed annoyed the last time he’d seen him in the office. After he’d found out about them.

“I think I’m going to go to bed early anyway so I’ll be staying in your room. If he does show up, he won’t know I’m there.”

“I doubt he’ll show up but it’s safer if we don’t assume anything.”

* * *

When they returned to Kaiba’s place, Jonouchi immediately followed Kaiba to the top floor and passed him to the bedroom. Like Kaiba had warned before dinner, he went into his study and shut the door behind him, presumably to work. Jonouchi was a little disappointed but he understood some of the pressure that was being placed on Kaiba to work, and he wasn’t going to act stupid over it. Mostly he was disappointed because Kaiba had said before that he’d show him his duelist proto-type next time Jonouchi was over but Jonouchi didn’t even have his deck with him. Whatever Kaiba had going on, it would probably be more fun to experience with his own monsters rather than being frightened half to death by one of Kaiba’s Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

He didn’t hate them, but they still gave him slight goose bumps when they showed up out of nowhere. Kaiba’s signature card was a constant motif within KaibaCorp, and there was one quite sizable statue of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon inside the main floor of the office that spooked Jonouchi each time he walked past it. Obviously it wasn’t real but it was nearly life-size (or the same size as the hologram whenever Kaiba played). If Jonouchi wasn’t paying attention, it would sneak up on him when he’d turn a corner and bam, there it would be, looming over him with its sharp looking eyes and gaping mouth.

Red-Eyes Black Dragon was a far more spookier looking monster, style-wise, but Jonouchi didn’t think it was nearly as intimidating as Blue-Eyes.

Kaiba’s bedroom was dark. It had a huge wall to ceiling windows that were covered with heavy grey drapes and a modern-style low bed that was a king size with dark grey sheets. Most of the room was grey, including the large three by four panel board that hung over the bed. There were funky light fixtures that made almost a star shape that hung from the ceiling and two white matching lampshades that were positioned on each side of the bed with matching bedside tables. The giant floor rug was grey too, and Jonouchi wondered if Kaiba had been in a dark mood when he’d come up with the idea for the bedroom. It wasn’t unwelcoming, but it certainly wasn’t warm. The walls were white at least, so it didn’t feel like a damn cave.

When he went into the bathroom, Jonouchi had to dig around to find an extra toothbrush. He went through the motions of getting ready for bed, not really wanting to stay up late because it was already way past dark and he knew Kaiba was going to be up for a while. Taking off his clothes and stripping down to his boxers, Jonouchi folded his clothes and left them near the end of the bed closest to the windows. He pulled back the covers and settled in, fiddling with his phone for some time before turning it off and seating it next to the lamp across from his head.

All alone in the room, Jonouchi felt a little agoraphobic. The bed was just so big, especially for one person, and he was starting to feel chilly. Closing his eyes and pulling the covers up to his chin, Jonouchi tried to let the weird feeling pass over him and allow himself to fall asleep but he found it difficult to settle down when all he could think about was Kaiba. His back was to the bedroom door, and Jonouchi felt impatient.

His mind eventually settled down but he didn’t fall asleep. Laying there, he thought about stuff, like his sister and his job, for what could have been hours, until he heard the hinges on the door creak and then the door close as someone entered the room and went into the bathroom. Looking back over his shoulder, Jonouchi could see Kaiba brushing his teeth, the lights on and the door wide open. When he finished, he put some kind of lotion on his face before turning off the lights and going to his closet, dressing down quickly and tossing clothes inside (presumably into a hamper) before approaching the bed.

Jonouchi had already fixed himself to look like he was asleep. He didn’t want Kaiba to know that he’d been staying up waiting for him; that would be embarrassing. Although it was impossible for him to appear mysterious, Jonouchi didn’t like being too easy to read either. He squinted as he felt the sheets move and a chill rush against him before the bed slightly sank. Then suddenly Kaiba’s chest was positioned against his back and Jonouchi felt warm from the skin-to-skin contact.

“Why did you ask to come over tonight?”

Kaiba’s voice wasn’t very loud and his tone was neutral but Jonouchi felt like he was being investigative. Although Jonouchi really liked Kaiba, he didn’t feel comfortable telling him about Hirutani and all that trouble, so he quickly came up with some other excuse to settle Kaiba’s curiosity.

“Because I wanted to come here,” Jonouchi remarked, “I like being able to share a bed with you and not feel cramped.”

“Do you not like your apartment anymore?” inquired Kaiba.

Jonouchi shook his head.

“I like that place plenty. It’s really great, I told you that before and I wasn’t lying. I just don’t think it’s all that good for having two people over. You’re not bothered I asked, are you?”

When Jonouchi tried to turn his neck slightly to see Kaiba’s face, he suddenly got his hair tousled before Kaiba held onto his exposed shoulder and moved his body closer. Immediately, Jonouchi’s heart started beating faster. His skin was growing warmer and he could feel his stomach becoming light as he felt the tip of Kaiba’s nose rubbing against the back of his head. He wasn’t sure if Kaiba was trying to smell his hair or just mess with it; he jumped when he felt cold lips on the back of his neck.

Jonouchi could hear Kaiba chuckling to himself before he cleared his throat and answered.

“As long as you don’t plan on throwing stuff at my face or try pinning me to a wall again, you are free to stay here as much as you want.”

“How generous of you,” Jonouchi snorted. “I don’t plan on picking a fight with you anytime soon, Kaiba.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Unless you try firing me again,” Jonouchi snickered back, “Or threaten to send me away.”

“I’m not going to fire you or move you to a different department,” Kaiba sighed, his voice sounding tired despite the amusement in his voice. “No one is looking for an opinionated, disgruntled junior assistant.”

“I’m not that disgruntled,” objected Jonouchi, feeling a little offended by Kaiba’s description of him.

It wasn’t inaccurate but Jonouchi didn’t like seeing himself as anything else besides hopeful and energetic. Kaiba had brought out the very worst in him during the first few weeks at the corporation but things had calmed down tremendously since then and Jonouchi felt like his work life now was manageable.

Kaiba grumbled in response. He seemed no longer interested in speaking and Jonouchi decided to try shutting his eyes and falling asleep again.

* * *

The office seemed so empty. Jonouchi had a coffee cup in his hand he didn’t remember getting; he walked into the waiting area of the executive office and didn’t see anyone around, not even Asato. Glancing at the front desk, he frowned as he saw the empty chairs, the two front desk girls missing from their stations. When he glanced around, the smaller offices appeared empty as the doors were all closed, probably still locked from the night before.

He liked the office but it was still slightly eerie so early in the morning, when the sun hadn’t even appeared in the sky yet. Jonouchi felt weird when he looked out the huge wall to ceiling windows, peering at the other neighboring skyscrapers. None of them were as big as Kaiba Corp Building, and he looked away when he started to feel a sense of vertigo.

There was a big bonsai tree sitting in the middle of the waiting room. Jonouchi liked the stainless steel sculpture of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that sat opposite of it, close to the entryway to the elevators. The office was very modern, the design a blend of Japanese and Italian architecture that also had a feeling of warmth from the wood wall panels, leather furniture, and well-placed live plants.

It was just so strange that no one else was around yet.

Jonouchi did his best to shake off the feeling and headed towards Kaiba’s office. It was down past the front desk, at the very end of the hallway. He had to pass several important offices on the way; the meeting room for the board of directors, the Chief Operating Office, the Treasurer’s office, and of course, Asato’s office. Unlike the offices downstairs that were small with glass walls and doors, the top executives had much more privacy from peering eyes and well decorated, curated spaces.

Kaiba had to know Jonouchi was coming so he didn’t bother knocking on the door; Jonouchi opened the door timidly and found Kaiba standing at the very end of the room, near the large window behind his desk. He was wearing his Battle City jacket, which was confusing to Jonouchi (he hadn’t seen that thing in months) and he quietly approached the desk, setting the coffee down on it before he felt Kaiba’s eyes suddenly on him.

“Do you like being my assistant?” asked Kaiba.

Jonouchi wasn’t sure how to answer that question. He didn’t hate it, like he had before. It wasn’t terrible; the hours were kinda long but that was life at a company, Jonouchi at least had great pay and benefits. Kaiba hadn’t really done anything particularly annoying to him in a long time, like force him to work a Saturday, and although it wasn’t a job he’d ever would have chosen for himself freely, Jonouchi found it rewarding enough to consider the experience valuable.

“It’s not terrible,” Jonouchi answered hesitantly, “It’s a better job than a lot of things I’d done before coming here.”

He’d been a dishwasher at a restaurant, a paper boy all throughout high school, and often did deliveries for Yugi’s grandpa because Yugi was too small to handle deliveries alone. He’d busted his ass doing shitty jobs since he stopped running with Hirutani’s crew; he never thought he’d find himself working someplace that didn’t force him to sweat all day. A job sitting at a desk, focusing mostly on paperwork or looking at a computer screen.

“Would you rather be doing something else?”

Jonouchi snorted. “I did kinda want to be a professional duelist, only since high school...”

Kaiba turned around and began to approach Jonouchi. He didn’t stop until they were standing almost toe to toe. Jonouchi felt strange because he couldn’t quite read Kaiba’s energy. They’d spent a lot of time together; Kaiba could be fairly mysterious and hard to read but he didn’t usually just go invading Jonouchi’s personal space, especially not at work. The close proximity made Jonouchi’s heart beat rapidly and he started to feel distinctly uncomfortable as Kaiba began taking his jacket off.

“Do you think I’m never going to let you duel?” asked Kaiba. “Are you afraid I’m going to keep you here with me for all eternity?”

“Maybe a little bit,” Jonouchi admitted. “You are the boss here.”

Kaiba smirked. “You like that though, don’t you? The struggle, the having to prove yourself to me over and over again. It gets you just a little excited, doesn’t it?”

Where was this even coming from? Jonouchi could feel his gut flip as Kaiba moved closer into his bubble. He bumped into the back of the desk, almost knocking the coffee over.

“Yeah, it does. I really like you, Kaiba, but I still want to be a duelist.”

“More than anything else?” Kaiba asked.

“I can’t see myself doing anything else.”

Kaiba frowned before lifting a hand to touch Jonouchi’s face. It was gentle and cool, Kaiba’s fingers tracing his jawline before lightly pressing on Jonouchi’s lower lip. Jonouchi was much too stunned to really react; he knew no one else was in the office (yet) but he couldn’t help but begin to worry that someone would just walk in on them. He couldn’t control his shocked reaction and Kaiba seemed amused by that.

“I have no intention of letting you leave me, Jonouchi. Professional dueling, in the United States, it would only make you happy for so long before you’d get lonely inside. Before you’d feel isolated and begin to ache for home. For your friends,” Kaiba continued. His blue eyes were so hypnotic; Jonouchi felt like he was under a spell as Kaiba began working to unzip his pants.

“You weren’t made to be a solitary creature like me,” Kaiba said as he pressed against Jonouchi’s body.

Shrinking at the touch, Jonouchi bit his lip before sighing. He could feel Kaiba stroking his dick, his arousal growing as he felt Kaiba’s warm breath on his neck. It was ridiculous how easily Kaiba could turn him into a weak ball of putty, completely malleable and pliant in his hands. Kaiba was close enough to kiss Jonouchi’s lips but he seemed to purposely avoid doing so, just nibbling along Jonouchi’s exposed ear before speaking up again.

“You’d die out there all alone, Katsuya. You and I both know this,” said Kaiba, “You’ve never been alone before.”

“I don’t want to be alone,” Jonouchi gasped. “I want to stay in Domino City with you.”

He reached forward and kissed Kaiba on the mouth, throwing his arms around his neck and pulling Kaiba close to him. When Kaiba complied, Jonouchi jumped on his desk, sitting on the top and grasping onto Kaiba’s hips with his thighs. He loved the way Kaiba touched him, the aggressive way he used both of his hands on him; his technique was incredible. Jonouchi's stomach felt light and coiled, his nerve endings on fire and body trembling. He tried to kiss Kaiba but his feelings were so overwhelming, and he was sloppy and often stopped to gasp before trying to reach for Kaiba’s lips again.

When Kaiba pulled away from him, Jonouchi sat back and watched Kaiba as he began unbuttoning Jonouchi’s shirt. His eyes were intense, the pupils enlarged to the point that Jonouchi almost couldn’t make out the blue in his irises. Jonouchi rushed with undoing his tie; Kaiba helped Jonouchi take it all off before Jonouchi also pulled off his undershirt and threw his loose belt onto the ground.

He got more excited when Kaiba took off his sweater. Kaiba had the most attractive torso he’d ever seen; it might have been because of his own bias but Kaiba was still objectively very attractive. Fit and tall, he had lean muscles that flexed nicely when he raised his arms over his head. His shoulders were also twice as wide as his hips, which made him look imposing. His abdominal muscles were firm and visible, and while Jonouchi didn’t consider Kaiba “shredded”, he was well toned and handsome looking. Jonouchi even liked how pale his skin looked; it made Kaiba’s beauty spots more striking whenever he had his clothes off.

Unashamed, Jonouchi turned around and held onto the edge of Kaiba’s desk with both his hands as he felt his pants and underwear get jerked down. His ass felt cold when exposed to the cool air of the office, and Jonouchi put one of his hands through his hair before biting his lip to fight back shivering. He could feel one of Kaiba’s free hands gripping onto his hip, holding him steady but he still gasped loudly as a stiff, unrelenting dick began entering his body with a force that nearly knocked the air out of his lungs.

Crying out loudly, Jonouchi jerked before fluttering open his eyes. He felt disoriented, the pressure in his anus still strong although he realized quickly that he wasn’t inside Kaiba’s office. His eyes took a while to adjust, and then he recognized the big windows and grey drapes of Kaiba’s bedroom. It was still dark, and the sun wasn’t up.

Jonouchi immediately tried getting up but his body refused to cooperate. His legs were like logs and Kaiba had a grip around his waist that was so close, he could feel Kaiba’s morning wood pressed against his ass. Usually he wouldn’t have cared all that much but remembering the contents of his dream, Jonouchi felt incredibly embarrassed. He tried pulling himself away before sitting on the edge of the bed.

He was aroused himself. It was uncomfortable, and his body even felt sweaty. Looking at the clock on the side table, Jonouchi reasoned he could just get up extra early and take a shower before going back to sleep if he felt like it. Would be better than continuing to feel horny without being able to do anything about it. At least while in the shower, he could jerk off in peace and try flushing away the memories of his intensely strange dream.

Jonouchi felt weird for the rest of the morning. He’d gone back to bed after using Kaiba’s shower; he still had an hour left before they both needed to get up. Kaiba had woken up briefly but didn’t speak when Jonouchi crawled back into bed. Awake, Jonouchi just laid there for a while staring at the ceiling while listening to Kaiba’s heavy breathing. He was on his side, his back turned to Jonouchi and Jonouchi took the opportunity to touch his hair while it was in reach.

The contents of his dream were still fresh on his mind, especially the part where he’d told Kaiba that he wanted to stay in Domino City. He had no idea where that came from; it was frustrating and Jonouchi felt conflicted while replaying the whole dream in his head. He really wanted to be a professional duelist. It was what he had been working towards since he’d graduated high school, the only thing he ever saw himself doing. As much as he loved being with Kaiba, he couldn’t just stay because he was afraid to leave.

It was alarming how his subconscious beliefs had managed to take the face of Kaiba during the dream. Jonouchi didn’t believe that Kaiba in real life would ever just refuse to let him go, he couldn’t do that. No one had that kind of power over him, Jonouchi could leave Kaiba Corp if he wanted to. He’d have to reach his dreams with or without the corporation.

But the things he’d said during the dream, about Jonouchi wanting to prove himself? They were accurate. It perplexed Jonouchi how much he desired Kaiba’s attention and approval. It had been that way since they’d first met each other; Jonouchi usually didn’t think too much of it but the feeling had only intensified since they’d begun spending more time with each other and Jonouchi’s feelings had grown from secret fanboy admiration to intense romantic longing. It probably wasn’t healthy but Jonouchi hardly knew what to do about it.

The masochist hiding deep inside of Jonouchi kinda wanted Kaiba to be a little possessive of him. To show how much he desired him, to be overbearing and alluring all at the same time. Jonouchi knew in real life, that would only upset him and make him defiant but in the contents of a sex dream, it made him feel hot and excited.

God, he was so stupid sometimes.

When Kaiba got up, Jonouchi tried to act normal. He could tell that Kaiba knew something was up but thankfully, he didn’t say anything. Jonouchi just watched him go through his routine, enjoying the silence and trying not to get in the way.

When they reached Kaiba Corp together, they parted ways in the waiting room. Kaiba got his own coffee on the way to the office, and Jonouchi had his own quick breakfast to inhale before Asato or Suzuki showed up.

The two front desk ladies were already at their stations, and Jonouchi waved when he passed them by. He silently went to his station, sitting at his desk and quickly eating his cheese danish as he watched the minutes tick by before clocking in through his computer.

The morning was pretty calm. Jonouchi kept his eyes focused on his work as he went through Kaiba’s appointment schedule for the week and ensured that there was no overlapping. He remembered Kaiba's birthday, and on his own calendar, marked it so he wouldn’t forget. Jonouchi really wanted to find out who was going to be planning Kaiba’s party but he didn’t want to attract attention by asking around. He only knew the people on his own floor well and he usually didn’t speak too much to the employees in the other departments.

Around noon time, Mokuba showed up at the office. Jonouchi thought about saying something to him but Mokuba never bothered to even glance his way. He was on a mission again, marching towards Kaiba’s office and ignoring everyone else on his way there. It wasn’t like anyone would stop him but still, Jonouchi felt slightly jilted. Mokuba had never just overlooked him before, and he couldn’t help but take it personally.

Thankfully Suzuki asked him to lunch, so Jonouchi missed Mokuba on his way out. They left the building and got curry from a food truck and ate outside. By the time Jonouchi returned to the office, Mokuba was gone and Kaiba was on his way out, already dressed in his workout clothes and appearing disgruntled. Kaiba did glance at him though and Jonouchi couldn’t help but smile when he noticed.

Jonouchi was working diligently at preparing some correspondence for Asato when Suzuki showed up. His face couldn’t contain whatever emotions were boiling inside of him and Jonouchi found himself being ushered into his office before Suzuki closed the door behind them.

“I have really great news,” Suzuki began. “I know you don’t really care for the boss but I got chosen to plan Kaiba-sama’s twenty-second birthday party! You know Kaiba-sama better than I do, so I want to recruit you into helping me.”

Jonouchi felt his stomach flip as he took a seat in front of Suzuki’s desk. Yes, he did know Kaiba better, probably better than anyone except Mokuba. Still, he felt weird since Suzuki brought it up.

“I don’t hate Kaiba-sama,” Jonouchi replied back quietly, “We just have a strained relationship.”

That was a lie. They were getting along just fine. He just didn’t need Suzuki knowing just how fine things were between them.

“You know, I watched the old videos of your dueling,” Suzuki laughed. “I know I don’t talk about dueling very often but I do work at Kaiba Corp and I had a feeling that maybe you ran into Kaiba a few times on the professional circuit. That, and I noticed that you two went to the same high school. That had to be interesting, having Kaiba-sama as a classmate.”

“You wouldn’t have noticed him,” Jonouchi mumbled.

God, he felt so awkward having to talk about this stuff.

“Kaiba sat in the back of class and almost never talked to anyone. He always knew the material better than the teachers so he was never called on in class.”

“Sounds like him,” said Suzuki.

He pulled out a physical planner from inside a drawer in his desk and placed it on top before pulling out a pen. Jonouchi just stayed quiet, not really going out of his way to divulge any more information about how he knew Kaiba as a teenager. He could tell that he was about to be asked more questions.

“I want to do something special this year,” explained Suzuki. “I know Kaiba-sama doesn’t really like parties. He barely speaks to anyone and always leaves early. I want to create something this year that will actually be enjoyable for him, something that will surprise him and make him realize just how much we all care about him.”

“Well, I guess you’d have to make it not boring,” snorted Jonouchi. “I mean, what would you like to do on your birthday if you could afford to do whatever you wanted?”

“I’d probably go take a trip outside the prefecture...

“But since that’s not really realistic, I also really liked going to KaibaLand for big events,” sighed Suzuki. “We really don’t do enough for them. There’s a big Halloween themed event coming up soon that’s supposed to be really fun, kids dress up for the day and then the older crowd comes out at night for the scary rides. I think it’s really fun to do something like that.”

“Then why not plan a big party at KaibaLand just for the staff?” asked Jonouchi, “Kaiba might not like parties but if he’s at his own theme park, he’ll probably find something in there to like.”

“I’m not sure how the higher ups will feel about that...”

Jonouchi sighed.

“Aren’t they the reason why Kaiba hates the events in the first place? It’s not their birthday party. Their opinions shouldn’t matter more than Kaiba’s.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll have to run the numbers by Asato,” Suzuki replied, his voice becoming more chipper as he seemed to become more sold by the idea, “Make sure we can afford to keep some park staff after hours. I think a lot of the younger employees would really like seeing KaibaLand without all the guests. Have you been there recently?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t get to see any rides,” Jonouchi mumbled.

Last time he’d been at KaibaLand had been during the tournament, when Kaiba publicly snubbed him. The memory still annoyed him a little.

“It would be cool to see what I missed out on.”

“What do you think of inviting some kids to the party?” asked Suzuki.

He looked excited by the idea and Jonouchi could tell that he was really beginning to brainstorm beyond the things that had been done years before.

“Maybe invite some good duelists to meet up for a photo op, or to get autographs,” Suzuki thought out loud, “Kaiba-sama is always happier when he’s around young fans.”

“He might like that...” Jonouchi tapped his pen on Suzuki’s desk a few times before dropping it. “You should consider inviting some kids from whatever orphanage is around here. He might appreciate that more.”

“You think?” Suzuki asked.

It would definitely be more risky. Orphans carried a negative social stigma. Jonouchi could see Suzuki considering that as the idea seemed to stew inside his head. Jonouchi had no idea what Kaiba might think of something like that; he didn’t know how sensitive Kaiba was about his and Mokuba’s time in state care, it wasn’t like he ever brought it up. At work, nobody referenced it; the entire staff talked about Kaiba as if he was actually Kaiba Gozaburo’s biological son.

Jonouchi knew though that Kaiba hated him.

“Yeah, I think so. I’d clear it up with his brother first,” Jonouchi advised, “But if he approves, I think you should do that. It would be unlike anything before and the kids don’t have to be there the entire party, but I think it would be cool if they had a few hours to see the park.”

“I’m sure we could come up with some gifts to send them home with too,” thought Suzuki. “I’ll bring it up to Mokuba-sama. Thanks for the good idea. I thought you hated the boss? How did you come up with such good ideas?”

Jonouchi could feel his face heat up. He didn’t want to give himself away, so he got up quickly and grabbed his pen off Suzuki’s desk.

“Mokuba-sama and I were friends for a while,” he replied.

That much at least wasn’t a lie.

“You learn things, you know.”

“I’m glad you did. Thanks for your help.”

Jonouchi nodded his head and hurried himself out of Suzuki’s office.


	15. Chapter 15

Although Kaiba still dreaded going to his twenty-second birthday party, it was a bit of a relief when he found out the event was being held at KaibaLand. Going to a strange hotel or some banquet hall to be paraded around in front of strangers never appealed to him, and although he still had to play nice and entertain guests at KaibaLand, there would at least be a chance to enjoy the park and not get stuck drinking the discomfort away all night.

He left the office a little earlier than usual, to get himself ready. Jonouchi had to pick up his suit earlier that day, and Kaiba wanted to ask exactly what Suzuki had planned for that night... but they never got a chance to see each other. Jonouchi had been burdened with numerous errands, and by lunch time, he’d disappeared from the office completely.

At first Kaiba was disappointed; even if he didn’t talk to Jonouchi often in the office, he still liked seeing him around. Jonouchi was always visible at his desk whenever Kaiba walked through the main waiting area. Although Jonouchi didn’t usually look directly at him from his desk, he knew Jonouchi noticed him everytime he passed by.

Kaiba got over the disappointment when Mokuba appeared. He was more pleasant today, probably because he didn’t want to upset Kaiba on his own birthday. Kaiba could tell that Mokuba was still unhappy with him. Mokuba had always been fairly easy to read. Although he didn’t bring up Jonouchi for once while they were together, Kaiba knew that he was still annoyed about their trysts and hadn’t let it go yet. Mokuba was feeling bothered about something. He was avoiding looking Kaiba directly in the eyes... he was keeping his discontentment buried.

Once Kaiba was dressed and the sun was starting to set on Domino City, he got ready to go to the party. He found himself stuffed in a limo with Mokuba and Asato, who had memorized the entire guest list. There would be all sorts of people in attendance; not just industry people in the gaming world but also representatives from the companies Kaiba Corp worked with in holographic technology. They were the leading developers in holograms, and from military training programs to medical simulations, data storage, commercial security programs and interactive screens on personal devices, Kaiba Corp was the industry leader and everyone else was clamoring for a partnership.

It was bigger than the games and duel monster imagery that Kaiba was more personally invested in. He’d had to diversify and find new markets for his solid vision software, and he knew that the gaming market was only so big. He spent more of his personal time working on the things he’d grown up loving; the new KaibaLand attraction that was going to open that night was based on his Duel Monster Quest game that had failed years ago. They’d finally polished it, and improved virtual reality pods to the point that they had a fail safe and could be used on the public.

A quarter of Kaiba Corp salaried staff would be at the party, alongside city celebrities, sociallites, media, duelists, and some kids from a local orphanage. Asato explained the plan for the night to him on the short limo ride to the park; Kaiba would take pictures with the kids before meeting with his board of directors and going through the new hologram exhibit, then finally revealing the brand new Duel Monsters Quest game to everyone. Then Kaiba and Mokuba would escort the kids as the first park guests into the game. Kaiba liked kids, so he didn’t think that part would be too bad. As long as no one really expected him to play.

There were photographers already stationed near the front of the park when the limo came around. Kaiba hated having to pose for pictures, but it came with the territory of being a celebrity. He sighed deeply before Isono opened the car door, and with Mokuba at his side and Asato behind him, he ran the gauntlet of press and media before finally making it inside the front lobby of the indoor KaibaLand. Stepping inside, there were already dozens of people packed all around in evening wear, along with a large group of children who were also dressed up. They were so distracted by the glitz and glamor, they barely paid attention to Kaiba as he walked past them and reached over to where Asato was guiding him.

Mokuba introduced himself to the kids first, Kaiba following behind. They took several pictures together before Asato slipped Kaiba a deck of cards that had been prepared. Kaiba tried to act like he knew exactly what was going to happen as he passed out the cards to the kids; it had to be some kind of idea that came from Suzuki. The event was good press though, each kid got a rare card with a special Kaiba Corp sleeve case that wasn’t even offered to the public. They all took a picture in front of a marble Blue-Eyes White Dragon before the kids were turned back over to their chaperone and went to see the rest of the party.

Kaiba got swallowed up by his employees afterwards. The board of directors were all there, looking amused at the kids while they drank from the glasses of champagne that were being passed out. A feeling of dread passed over Kaiba when he recognized a head of blond hair; his girlfriend was there, wearing a fancy black dress. Having procrastinated the inevitable, Kaiba still hadn’t broken up with her. Doing it at a party was a bad idea but he really didn’t want to be seen with her, since he’d already made a promise to Jonouchi. A sense of something like panic came over him, and he tried to cut through the growing crowd to get out of the room before he could get seen with Akikio.

The woman looked determined. She had sharp eyes, and Kaiba watched from up on a balcony as she approached several people, no doubt asking if they’d seen him. Kaiba continued to spy as his stomach completely flipped; Jonouchi was standing next to Suzuki and some other young employees when Akikio approached him and interjected her way into the conversation.

“Don’t appease her...” Kaiba grumbled under his breath.

Of course, Jonouchi was too polite and didn’t stop talking to her. He had an expression on his face that looked slightly uncomfortable, Kaiba could tell from the way he kept touching the back of his head that he wasn’t at ease with the situation. He was probably confused as to why she was even there, it had been weeks since the last time Akikio visited the office. It helped that she got dragged home for a while because of family trouble but Kaiba really hadn’t done enough to ensure that she wouldn’t just return at the worst moment.

“You still didn’t break up with her, huh?” mumbled Mokuba. “You going to go talk to her?”

“Eventually. Not yet.”

Mokuba snorted. “You could have avoided this, Nii-sama. You should have told someone that you two aren’t together anymore.”

“It didn’t even occur to me,” Kaiba sighed, “I haven’t been with her in weeks. I stopped seeing her sometime ago.”

“Am I right for assuming the reason why?”

Giving Mokuba a warning look, Kaiba frowned before adjusting his tie. “You don’t need to remind me again how much I disappointed you, Mokuba. I got the picture the first few times you grilled into me.”

“You’re still seeing him, though.”

“Yes I am.”

Kaiba had no intention of ending things with Jonouchi. When he saw Akikio walk away from Jonouchi, he took his chance and went back down the stairs to find her. He absolutely hated going through crowds, especially when everyone was making an effort to speak to him and get a picture with him.

By the end of the evening, Kaiba had a feeling his face would be all over online and in the papers. He didn’t even know half the people who asked for a picture, and some people did make an effort to suck him into conversation but he wasn’t in the mood for it. Kaiba politely but firmly declined each invitation, following Akikio until he finally caught her arm near the bar and got her away into a smaller room where there wasn’t a crowd.

“You’ve ignored all of my text messages,” Akikio immediately started to complain, “I haven’t seen you in weeks and you didn’t even bother to invite me personally to your birthday. Do you even consider yourself my boyfriend anymore?”

Kaiba wanted to snort but he kept his face under control as he thought of what to say. He couldn’t risk Akikio having a blowout at a public party. People were watching them.

“I’ve been extremely busy,” Kaiba replied, “I can’t give you the attention you want.”

“I wouldn’t mind the distance if I felt like you actually still wanted me,” Akikio complained. “You don’t even look happy to see me. You look like this is a bother for you, to have to acknowledge me.”

‘It is a bother’, thought Kaiba internally.

“We’ve been going different directions for some time now. This shouldn’t be a surprise. I think you’d be happier with someone else.”

He waited for Akikio to do something, like throw a drink in his face or maybe slap him, but her face just crumbled before she turned away quickly and ran off like she was afraid of being seen crying. Kaiba watched, feeling numb to it. How upset could she really be? They didn’t even go on dates together. Maybe the first few times, but mostly, their relationship had been easy sex. He really doubted Akikio was all that upset. If she was upset about anything, it was how her access to designer clothes had been diminished since she wouldn’t be able to just show up at his office and ask for a shopping trip anymore.

Going to the bar first, Kaiba got a drink and swallowed it quickly before ordering another one. It was easier to get through a night of socializing somewhat buzzed, and he got through the thick crowd of partygoers slowly before finding Mokuba again, who was talking to one of Kaiba’s senior marketing directors.

“Good, you’re back!” Mokuba exclaimed cheerfully, “They need us for the opening of Duel Monsters Quest.”

The opening. It should have occurred to Kaiba that the marketing team would go with a grand opening at his party but Kaiba had been too distracted to think too much about it. He followed Mokuba quietly, going through the wide hallway of the theme park before they reached a section that had huge banners and character actors dressed up as duel monsters hanging around the outside of a big, fake castle opening. There were a dozen kids clamoring around too, four boys and two girls, who were barely containing their excitement. They screamed when Kaiba and Mokuba reached them, and suddenly Kaiba was being whisked away again into a small room where six upright pods in two rows stood.

There was a very pretty woman in a park uniform explaining to the kids what Duel Monsters Quest was. An old idea of Kaiba’s, the game was meant to be a kind of European high fantasy that also incorporated Duel Monsters into it. The game was meant for kids, but Kaiba also built different levels for teenagers and adults, so the experience could appeal to any age group and level of gamer. The technology was also being used for military and commercial purposes, like combat training for elite forces, but its use in a theme park was brand new. Kaiba would have felt more proud of the moment if he hadn’t already felt a little buzzed from drinking two shots of vodka previously.

Paying half attention to the instructions, Kaiba got into the farthest pod and strapped himself in. The two young girls took the pods next to him; one of the girls looked around eight and wore her hair in braids. When Kaiba glanced at her, she gave him a thumbs up before a park attendant put the glass window down, snapped it in place, and pressed the program start button. Kaiba watched everyone go in before it was his turn and when his turn came, the entire space of the pod turned black as a pleasant female voice told him to close his eyes and then open them.

He found himself standing in a forest, alongside the kids and Mokuba again. The woman from before was also there, going into detail explaining the game to the kids and preparing them for dueling by helping them to summon their core duel monster from their deck.

There were already duel monsters around them. Kaiba felt annoyed by four floating scapegoats that kept bouncing into him as they hung around, causing one of the girls to squeal in delight. She grabbed the pink one by the horns and held onto it, more delighted with the puffy little goat than her own much more impressive Winged Dragon, which swelled up with jealousy rage and tried prying the scapegoat out of her arms with its teeth.

Everyone’s outfit had changed. Kaiba was wearing one of the more advanced ranger ensembles while Mokuba had cleric gear. All the kids were dressed in drab peasant garb; they would have to play to unlock their class of hero and upgrade their clothes.

“Alright, it’s time to go find the first town so we can start on our journey to save the kingdom!” announced Mokuba loudly. All the kids screamed a war cry at that, joined by their strange collection of low tier monsters. When the yellow scapegoat darted away towards the trail, all the kids ran after it, and Kaiba watched with mild amusement.

He wasn’t alone, though. Two scapegoats still floated around him, the blue one lightly bumping into the back of his head several times while Kaiba tried to swat it away. That wouldn’t really do anything, since they weren’t real, but Kaiba couldn’t help it. He took a different path than the kids, having no desire to adventure in the E section. The mature section of the game was more difficult, with harder challenges and tougher NPCs who would behave much more antagonistic towards the player and do things sometimes like pickpocket or try to start fights if the player got too pushy towards them.

The big grand opening started with the kids but Kaiba knew the theme park had thirty-six different pods split into three different rooms. There wouldn’t be any teenagers except Mokuba around to play, but there were plenty of young adults with actual dueling experience available to try the game, including Jonouchi. Kaiba had no doubt he’d be in line to try, since he was probably the best ranked duelist there after Kaiba himself. Having already played the game several times while it was still in its demo stage, Kaiba had no desire to go through the main storyline again. He branched off, his memory of the huge open world map well enough that he was able to predict where the adult players would be brought in from.

He had to exploit his personal cheat codes to open a portal there, so he wouldn’t have to deal with using a horse to travel across the game. The program was extremely immersive, requiring players to go to the nearest village to lease a horse from the livery stable whenever they wanted to get across the map quickly. Kaiba liked the riding aspect, but it would be a time suck having to walk by foot to the village, where there would be monsters waiting to jump him and force him into combat.

The portal jumped him across the map, and Kaiba found himself near the edge of an abandoned town instead of a forest. The portal behind him quickly closed after that, although the two wandering scapegoats managed to cross with him. The pair floated around his head like obnoxious tourists.

They were on top of a damaged keep that was overlooking the market square of the town. Down below, Kaiba could see several people become downloaded into the game, Suzuki materializing first before the front desk girls, Yui and Hana, also appeared and finally, Jonouchi. They got a similar ‘guide’ who gave them instructions to find whatever materials they could in the ruins of the town; Jonouchi seemed quick to get to work, digging through trash to find a worn dagger, leather armor bracers, and a higher quality merchant’s shirt. When he took off the plain grey tunic he had been wearing, the girls marveled at him with amusement before turning their attention to a Red Goblin that popped out from behind them.

They all looked unnerved by the creature, who threatened them with a large pike. It seemed more interested in the girls than Suzuki or Jonouchi, but when it jumped, it pounced on Jonouchi, knocking him over hard. Suzuki ran for it and got the pike out of the monster’s hands but he couldn’t pull the Red Goblin off; Jonouchi looked panicked for a moment before he grabbed his dagger and shoved it right into the eye of the monster.

The goblin shrieked and fell over, shaking in its death throes before it finally went silent.

“You have to kill duel monsters with your bare hands?” complained Jonouchi loudly, “I swear, Kaiba’s always coming up with some intense shit to fuck people with. I thought I’d have at least one duel monster to use before getting attacked.”

“We are playing the mature version of the game,” Suzuki offered, “Maybe the rules are different since we aren’t kids.”

“Yeah, and besides," teased Yui, the more senior girl with the pretty chestnut colored hair, "You didn't die."

Jonouchi stuck out his tongue at her.

Then they all gathered to examine the body. Yui took the pike for herself while Jonouchi overturned the Red Goblin just as a duel monster card slipped out from its mouth.

“I found something guys!”

Everyone crowded around him. Kaiba already knew what it was. The mature game always started the same; the player was dropped in an abandoned town that had been terrorized by the monsters that belonged to the final boss. Players would search for useful objects when one enemy who had been left behind, a Red Goblin, would attack the player who found the dagger. After the Red Goblin was defeated, it would drop either a Swordsman of Landstar, Kuriboh, or Magician of Faith card, depending on how well the player did at defending themselves from the Red Goblin.

Jonouchi scored a Swordsman of Landstar card. Kaiba scoffed; Jonouchi had one in his personal deck, so it figured. As much as Kaiba wanted to continue to watch them play, he did not want to get caught spying on them or have some monster go and attack him when he only had two scapegoats to protect himself with. Sure, he also had access to his entire deck but the last thing he wanted was for one of his Blue-Eyes White Dragons to drop down and defend him. It would be distracting, and Jonouchi would most definitely notice.

“Duel Monsters Quest, exit game.”

The blue scapegoat grabbed onto Kaiba’s head just as the world went dark and suddenly Kaiba opened his eyes to find himself inside the gaming pod. Although he knew he was back in reality, Kaiba couldn’t help but grab the back of his head and fix his hair. He had felt the scapegoat latch onto him; the technology was so good, it was sometimes unnerving. When an assistant came, the pod door was opened and Kaiba was able to get out while Mokuba and the kids remained playing.

Going back to the party, Kaiba didn’t see Mokuba or Jonouchi for almost an hour. He got trapped talking to business people the rest of the night. Going on autopilot, Kaiba answered questions and greeted the people who he was supposed to greet while also taking drinks in between. It was bearable when Asato appeared to wish him a happy birthday, she was very genuine and wasn’t shy about asking how Mokuba was doing in the United States. Kaiba didn’t mind the more personal questions, since Asato already knew pretty much everything (everything except the private stuff about Jonouchi) and she was incredibly loyal. Asato was a young assistant back when Gozaburo was still there, and he had never been very kind or considerate towards female employees.

“You should look over your speech one last time before you get on stage tonight,” Asato advised. She pulled out her phone and had the script already prepped on her screen, handing it to Kaiba. “Everyone loves to hear you speak. I think the writing guys did a good job on this one.”

“Maybe it’ll get the directors off my back,” snorted Kaiba. He already knew the birthday address by heart but he read over the lines anyway, so Asato wouldn’t heckle him about it. Every birthday, there was always a speech. Kaiba did not write them himself; he had people on staff for that sort of thing and they knew how to write things so it sounded like it could have come from him. That was what was important, and he glanced over the thing two times before handing it back to Asato.

“They got really personal this year,” said Kaiba. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to make such a big deal out of Mokuba’s move to the United States?”

“I think he’d appreciate it. You two have always been so close, it’s okay for people to see that.”

“I’m not a huge fan of attention over my personal life...”

Astato rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. She pocketed her phone before sipping her drink and Kaiba knew what she was probably thinking. Dueling wasn’t the same, he could be whomever he wanted to be when he was on stage in a competition. There was no vulnerability to fear, as long as he won against his matches and didn’t lose his nerve when things didn’t go his way. Delivering a speech about brotherhood and the importance of family, well, of course Kaiba thought those things were important... There was a time when the only thing that kept him going was his need to save Mokuba.

Still, Kaiba didn’t think he needed to explain just how important Mokuba was to him. It sounded so melodramatic in his head.

They were coming closer to the hour. Akikio was gone at least now; Kaiba hadn’t seen her since she first showed up. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about seeing her crying face while speaking to the crowd.

Visiting the bar one last time, Kaiba took a shot of vodka. He might have to address the public, but he didn’t have to do it completely sober...

* * *

It was past midnight by the time the party started to wind down. People were leaving in groups, catching cabs to go downtown. Kaiba had already planned to drive his car back home; Isono was going to drop it off soon and would take Mokuba back to whatever hotel he was staying at. During his speech, Mokuba smiled at Kaiba’s words. Even though he had to be aware that Kaiba hadn’t written them himself, he still seemed affected enough by them to get embarrassed as Asato patted his back.

Maybe Kaiba really didn’t tell Mokuba enough times how much he appreciated him. Was it really something he needed to tell him more often? He had to know already. Nothing would have been possible without his help, Kaiba never pretended like he took over Kaiba Corp all by himself. Mokuba had always been a major source of support and an active player; he’d gone so far as swallowing the key to Kaiba’s safe to make sure Pegasus couldn’t get the required documents to take over the country years ago. He’d also given Kaiba the shares necessary to become the majority stockholder back when they were still living under Gozaburo’s rule.

The last year had been challenging for them, to say the least, but Kaiba didn’t think Mokuba had the right to lash out the way he did over Egypt. Or get so upset over Jonouchi. Was Kaiba never allowed to ever act impulsively? Maybe Mokuba was finally realizing that Kaiba wasn’t some perfect person and he was resenting it.

There really wasn’t anything Kaiba could do about that. All teenagers rebelled against their parents, regardless of how good or bad their parents treated them. He’d have to let Mokuba go through his phase and hope for the best.

The party was slowing down but the main room was still packed full of people. Kaiba wanted to find Jonouchi before he left, if it was even possible to. In the darkness, he thought it would be easy to find Jonouchi in a crowd, since his hair stuck out so much, but Kaiba was wrong. Too many people with good dye jobs. It occurred to Kaiba at one point to just take out his phone and text him, but Kaiba doubted Jonouchi would notice his phone vibrating under the intense noise of dance music, and besides, he didn’t want to come off as desperate. Jonouchi would probably not care but Kaiba still had his pride, and he wanted to find Jonouchi without resorting to using technology.

It was just so hard to do. He had to take two full turns around the room, avoiding all the drunk well-wishers and deal makers, before he found Jonouchi at the bar doing shots with all his coworkers. Kaiba could drink quite a bit but he’d never seen anyone go through alcohol so fast. Jonouchi took shot after shot after shot with his friends. Suzuki looked wiped out but the two women in their group were still keeping up with Jonouchi’s drink orders until finally one nearly fell off her chair and dropped a daiquiri on herself.

Suzuki managed to pull them away from the bar. Jonouchi looked like he still wanted to go, and Kaiba took his chance to sneak in once Jonouchi waved off his friends to finish what looked like a umeshu tonic.

“Would you like a ride home,” Kaiba asked as Jonouchi swallowed the rest of his drink, “You’ll probably scare away any taxi you try waving down.”

“I got invited to go to another party,” Jonouchi replied, his eyes noticeably dilated under the strobe lights that waved around them. “I’m not ready to go home yet...”

“You don’t have to go home if you don’t want to,” offered Kaiba. “But I’m about to leave, so if you want to come along, you need to decide now.”

Jonouchi got off his seat with a bounce and headed towards the outside entrance. Kaiba followed him, amused by the sudden nonverbal answer. They still had to shove their way through the crowds, and it was annoying having to wait in line to pick up their jackets from the coat check, but they managed to escape just as Isono pulled up with the BMW.

Kaiba felt perfectly sober. He hadn’t drank anything in the last hour. His vision was fine and he felt very alert but Jonouchi looked extremely drunk. He wasn’t falling all over the place but he did look unfocused, and he had a goofy grin glued to his face the entire time they stood outside together. When Isono came and handed the keys to Kaiba, Jonouchi nearly fell into the passenger seat and Kaiba thought he almost caught Isono laughing.

“How much did you drink tonight?” asked Kaiba.

When he glanced over at Jonouchi, he realized that Jonouchi was not really paying attention to him. He was smiling and staring at KaibaLand, admiring the crowd around the building. Kaiba reached over and shut the door before motioning for Jonouchi to get his seat belt on. That seemed to zap him back into reality, and Jonouchi adjusted to his seat before leaning against the door and turning his attention back to Kaiba.

“You always look so handsome when you dress up,” Jonouchi started, “I mean, you always look good but you look especially good wearing a suit. Everyone thought so, I could tell from their eyes.”

“Is that so?” snorted Kaiba. Jonouchi smelled fresh like citrus fruits from some kind of cologne but Kaiba could also make out the scent of alcohol on his breath.

“I really liked your speech,” Jonouchi continued, “I know you didn’t write it yourself but I thought it sounded like something you could have done yourself if you weren’t so afraid of being seen by people. I liked it a lot. You have so many redeeming qualities that you try to hide away from everyone.”

Sighing deeply, Kaiba didn’t answer. He had a feeling he didn’t really need to answer. Jonouchi was talkative and rambling, not even waiting for a response. Kaiba had heard plenty of Jonouchi’s friendship speeches back in the day, but he didn’t ever expect to get one delivered to him while trapped in a car...

“I know Mokuba loved it. He had to have. I watched him the entire time and he looked so proud of you.”

“Mokuba tried to be nice today but I can tell he’s still upset with me,” Kaiba mumbled, more to himself than to Jonouchi. “I don’t think giving a birthday speech really changed anything.”

“You shouldn’t be so negative all the time...”

Kaiba snapped his head to look at Jonouchi; his face was red and his expression was animated, eyebrows furrowed and mouth frowning. Jonouchi was terrible at hiding his feelings. Kaiba doubted he ever even tried to outside of work. Focusing on the road, Kaiba just felt Jonouchi’s intense eyes bearing into him and it was silent for a few seconds until they pulled into the parking garage attached to Kaiba’s building.

“Mokuba doesn’t hate you, Kaiba. Nobody hates you. Everyone loves you, Mokuba adores you,” Jonouchi started passionately, “You’re the most important person in his life and everyone can see that. You're a superhero to him or something. Yeah, you let him down a few times, but no one else could have done the things you did for him and I remember the shit you went through to protect him time and time again. I doubt Mokuba has forgotten any of it. It sucks that he’s in a funk right now but you really did make a beautiful speech and maybe you did say some things that Mokuba needed to hear directly from you.”

“In front of everyone?” laughed Kaiba. “It was embarrassing.”

“Who cares. You meant what you said during it, right? That’s all that matters.”

“Why do you care so much?” Kaiba asked. “This isn’t your problem. You are getting all wound up over this.”

“Of course I am, I care about you,” Jonouchi exclaimed. “I feel like you don’t understand how other people see you and it makes me so sad sometimes. Even when I thought you were a giant dick head, I always admired the relationship you had with your brother. It was incredible. You always try to look bad in front of people but you can’t love someone as much as you love Mokuba and be a terrible person.”

Kaiba pulled into a parking spot. He took the keys out of the ignition and unbuckled himself, working to get out of the car but Jonouchi stopped him and held onto his arm.

“I know I’m drunk, but you still need to listen to me,” said Jonouchi.

“I can hear you,” Kaiba replied, “I’m listening.”

“I wanted to have a good time at your party. Even though I couldn’t hang out with you,” Jonouchi explained. “I had a really good time with my friends.”

“Yeah, I noticed.”

Kaiba liked watching Jonouchi from afar. He knew whenever he showed up, his presence would change the behavior of everyone around him and his employees especially weren’t able to relax around him. Even Jonouchi wasn’t relaxed around him. He either excited people or put them on edge. It could be because of his intense personality or his celebrity, Kaiba didn’t know which. It was just easier to stay back sometimes and admire things from afar.

“You’re still listening to me, right?” asked Jonouchi loudly. He reached out and held onto Kaiba’s face with both hands. Kaiba wanted to laugh but he stopped himself. Jonouchi was moving closer and his eyes were intense. He frowned when Kaiba looked away for one second.

“Yes, Jonouchi,” Kaiba sighed, “I’m still listening.”

“Good,” said Jonouchi more quietly, “Because I love you. I want you to know that.”

Suddenly Jonouchi leaned forward and kissed him. Kaiba barely had any time to fully comprehend what Jonouchi had told him; the hands on his face had moved to holding onto his shoulders. Kaiba wasn’t used to this level of passion from Jonouchi; it didn’t feel like all the other times they’d kissed before. All the times before had been great, but they always came from a place of physical need, of a hunger from loneliness or lust. This felt different, like there was a weight behind Jonouchi’s touches, and Kaiba pulled back for a moment to look him in the eyes.

“What are you doing?” Jonouchi complained. “Your windows are tinted, no one is going to see us in your car...”

“I’m not concerned about that,” Kaiba replied back, “Do you have any idea how drunk you are right now?”

“Yeah,” Jonouchi slurred saucily, “So what? Why does it matter? I’m not making stuff up. I know my own feelings, Kaiba.”

“I’m not arguing that you don’t,” Kaiba interjected.

“Then why are you trying to stop me?” Jonouchi continued, his face flushing even more now that they were nearly nose to nose to each other, “I want us to be together. Don’t you want that too?”

“Yes, I do.”

Kaiba reached forward and kissed him this time but the car was making this complicated. They fumbled around, Jonouchi too drunk to be coordinated and Kaiba had to untwist him from his seat belt and move his seat all the way back before Jonouchi managed to climb onto his lap. Kaiba took off his suit jacket and had one hand on Jonouchi’s hip and the other one holding onto his tie. He undid it quickly, and tossing it in the back seat, Kaiba moved to trail kisses along Jonouchi’s exposed throat.

Despite the tight confines of the car, they managed to make it work. Jonouchi was grinding against him and Kaiba could feel how aroused they both were through their clothes. It was silly, because Jonouchi was too drunk to really be effective at what he was trying to do and they were both going to have to find a way to make it through the condo building without attracting attention, yet Kaiba liked Jonouchi’s enthusiasm and energy. He was sloppy but also sultry, and he seemed to know all the ways Kaiba liked to be touched. Somehow he was dexterous enough to get Kaiba’s belt buckle free, and unzipping his pants, Jonouchi managed to slide one of his hands against Kaiba’s dick while also kissing him fully on the mouth.

When Kaiba tried to return the favor, Jonouchi redirected his hands back to grasping his hips. He was on a mission of sorts, and he really knew what kind of hand technique Kaiba liked. When Kaiba masturbated on his own, he was usually dispassionate about it and didn’t really allow himself that much experimentation. Sex was something that was a means to an end, a way to clear his mind or improve his mood. For the longest time, he didn’t really allow himself to enjoy the tiny thrills and messiness of it all. Closing his eyes, he could feel Jonouchi kissing along his collarbone, and relaxing, it didn’t occur to Kaiba that Jonouchi might try doing more.

But then Jonouchi managed to get off his lap without falling, and Kaiba didn’t have much of a warning before suddenly he was being blown.

He’d gotten oral sex before, numerous times, but nothing so intense as that moment. The women he’d been with, they were always trying to show off. Kaiba didn’t really think most of them really enjoyed what they were doing. It came off like an imitation, something they’d seen on porn that they were trying to replicate.

Jonouchi though, as clumsy as he was, knew how to get the right reactions out of Kaiba. His stomach was tight and he could feel pleasure building inside of him. Jonouchi went slow with a steady rhythm, taking cock inch by inch. When he pulled away to breathe, Kaiba shivered involuntarily. The cold, winter air felt even more intense since everything from the base of his dick and up was wet from saliva. Jonouchi licked him then, starting down and then all the way up, before taking him back into his mouth.

Kaiba didn’t know how long Jonouchi wanted to go for but he tried his best to edge himself, not wanting to orgasm too quickly. His eyes felt heavy and he watched Jonouchi as heat grew all across his face; when they made eye contact, Jonouchi would smirk at him and try to maintain eye contact before losing his focus. Desperate to do something, Kaiba wanted to touch Jonouchi’s hair but he kept his hands to himself. He didn’t want to offend him, or ruin the moment, and when Jonouchi picked up the pace, Kaiba got too far gone to even try to hold back from being vocal about his pleasure.

But before he could get over that last climb, Jonouchi suddenly stopped. His face looked strained and he didn’t move for several seconds, like he wasn’t sure what was happening... then suddenly he flung the passenger door open, and twisting to get his head out of the car, Kaiba could hear him vomiting two whole times before he stopped.

Kaiba quickly fixed himself, and he pulled Jonouchi back into the car when the vomiting stopped and he didn’t think Jonouchi had anymore left.

“I feel awful,” Jonouchi complained, “I’m so embarrassed.”

'You and I both', thought Kaiba, but he remained silent as he collected their things. It had been a bad idea to get carried away in the car, but he couldn’t blame Jonouchi for that. They both were having fun, and Kaiba had been thinking about him all night during the party.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Kaiba told him, “I’m going to help you get out of the car and get you to bed.”

“I could have thrown up on you,” Jonouchi whined, “You would have never forgiven me.”

Kaiba rolled his eyes. “But you didn’t, and even if you had, I still would have managed to forgive you. I’d be more upset about the car than you getting vomit on me.”

Jonouchi laughed but he also grimaced like doing so was causing him pain. Kaiba quickly got out of the car, and after quickly readjusting his clothes, he went to the other side and helped Jonouchi out so he didn’t step into his own vomit. It would have been funny if it wasn’t so gross, and Kaiba still felt uncomfortable with his erection pushing against his pants. He put one of Jonouchi’s arms over his shoulder, and getting him steady, he led the way into his building and up to his condo.

Jonouchi’s coordination was terrible and he was fairly useless when trying to get him up the stairs. Kaiba almost thought about just carrying him, but they managed to make it before reaching Kaiba’s bedroom, and once Jonouchi was sitting on Kaiba’s bed, Kaiba went downstairs to grab a glass of water. When he came back to the bedroom, he handed the glass off to Jonouchi and then worked on undressing him. They didn’t even get a chance to take their shoes off at the door, so Kaiba did that for Jonouchi and helped undress him before putting him in bed.

Jonouchi looked so sad and dejected. Half his face was covered by the sheets and Kaiba had to force him to lie on his stomach in case he threw up again. Only when Jonouchi finally relaxed did Kaiba reach out to touch his hair. It was messy and a bit sweaty. Kaiba could tell that Jonouchi had put product on it but he didn’t care. Kaiba liked it when he could stroke Jonouchi’s hair and not have to think too hard about anything.

“Tanaka came to me during the party,” Jonouchi began to complain, “You promised me you’d break up with her.”

Kaiba should have known that would come to bite him in the ass. He sighed, putting his face in his hands and exhaling loudly before turning his attention back towards Jonouchi.

“I didn’t know the company was going to invite her to the party,” explained Kaiba, “I haven't been seeing her, and I’ve been too busy to even think about how to go about properly breaking up with her. What would you like me to do, Jonouchi? Invite her to my office and drop the bad news where she can make a big scene?”

“Ask her to coffee or something,” Jonouchi answered irritably, his voice straining from drunkenness and emotion. “You have a phone, Kaiba. You could just break up with her over text or something...”

“Would you like being dumped over text?” Kaiba asked. He would have laughed at the advice if Jonouchi didn’t look so upset and serious. “That’s a terrible way to end a relationship.”

“You said it wasn’t a real relationship...”

“It wasn't on my end of things,” Kaiba mumbled. He got up. “I thought you liked Tanaka.”

“I do like her,” Jonouchi sighed. “But she’s your ex! She just showed up at a party where I can’t even be seen being too close to you without raising questions. It’s not fair and it fucking sucks.”

Kaiba could tell that Jonouchi was about to get worked up again. He got up and headed towards the bathroom, deciding to take a shower and jerk off so he wouldn’t have to go to bed with blue balls killing him. Jonouchi was probably too drunk and prissy to be bothered with his own, which was probably for the best. Kaiba didn’t need him puking in his bathroom or falling in the shower trying to do something he wasn’t coordinated enough to pull off drunk.

When he finished, he reentered the bedroom and just changed into a pair of boxer briefs before getting into bed. He thought for a second that Jonouchi was asleep but he turned out to be wrong because when he touched his hip, Jonouchi grabbed his hand.

“I wasn’t trying to ruin your birthday,” he began, “I got drunk because I thought it would help take my mind off things. I helped Suzuki plan the party... he had no idea what you would like. I was so excited for you to see what we had planned...”

Jonouchi turned around and faced Kaiba. Although it was difficult to see his face in the darkness, Kaiba could feel how serious Jonouchi was. His hand kept squeezing Kaiba’s ever so slightly while he spoke.

“I know you didn’t get anything you liked before, and I doubt you got to celebrate your birthday much as a kid. I mean, you talk like it doesn’t matter but it does.”

“It’s one day a year,” Kaiba reasoned. “And you didn’t ruin anything.”

“It’s still important. I just wanted you to remember it,” Jonouchi whined, “To try and make it special...”

“Oh, I’ll remember this,” replied Kaiba, “Tonight is not going to escape from my memory anytime soon. Now please, go to sleep.”

“I got a lot on my mind.”

Kaiba laid his head down on his pillow, looking up at Jonouchi’s worried face. His eyes were big, and his mouth was pouting. His hair was all over the place and his body felt warm. Jonouchi’s hand felt rough but the skin of his exposed hip was soft. Lifting up his hand and freeing it of Jonouchi’s grip, Kaiba slid his finger down Jonouchi’s nose before touching his lips and tracing it back up his cheek. Jonouchi looked away like he was slightly annoyed but remained compliant and still.

“I’ll take you to breakfast tomorrow,” Kaiba promised. “You can tell me all about how you feel then. How does that sound?”

There was a brief pause before Jonouchi sighed. He relaxed and closed his eyes. Kaiba watched him although he didn’t touch him again. As much as he wanted to, he also really wanted to go to sleep. Somber Jonouchi was boisterous enough; he didn’t need to give drunk Jonouchi any reason to try staying awake.

“Breakfast with you,” Jonouchi mumbled, “I would like that.”

Kaiba closed his eyes and felt himself floating away. He was close to losing consciousness when he heard Jonouchi speak again under his breath, “I don’t care if you don’t even love me back, I just want you to be happy...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a comment if you can, they are greatly appreciated.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Please enjoy the chapter.

Waking up dazed and confused, Jonouchi wasn’t quite sure where he was when his eyes opened. He was facing large grey drapes, the intense sunshine shining through large panel windows. He could hear a shower running and it took him several seconds to realize that he was in Kaiba’s bedroom, tangled in his bedsheets. Jonouchi’s breath was awful, and his abdomen was sore. Getting up, he yawned loudly into his hands and tried fixing his hair before looking across the room.

Kaiba had to be in the bathroom. Jonouchi vaguely remembered seeing him at the party last night, but he did not remember going home with him. Hell, he couldn’t really remember much after playing in the virtual world demo with Suzuki and the office girls. His mind was in a haze. Jonouchi collapsed on his back to stare at the ceiling of the room while he tried to force himself to remember the night before.

He'd seen Kaiba with Tanaka at some point in the night, he remembered that much. It had bothered him, and Jonouchi remembered drinking more than he usually did because of it. He was trying very hard to have a good time. Tanaka being at the party meant that Kaiba hadn’t actually broken up with her yet and that stung, especially since Kaiba had promised him he would. Jonouchi couldn’t understand why Kaiba would delay leaving her; he didn’t like her at all. It shouldn’t be so hard to break up with someone he didn’t even bother to visit on his off time.

Although his abs were sore, Jonouchi was glad that at least he hadn’t had any kind of penetrative sex he couldn’t remember the night before. He was still wearing his underwear, and the only discomfort he felt was in his stomach. It was highly likely that he drank too much, threw up at some point, and blacked out. Wouldn’t be the first time he’d done something like that, although Jonouchi didn’t do that stuff often. He wasn’t trying to be like his father. He didn’t want to behave stupid and then not remember it. Especially around someone whose opinion he cared so much about.

Flipping to his side, Jonouchi just stared at the bathroom door for a while. How did Kaiba find him? What happened at the party? Was Kaiba glad to have him over or was he possibly annoyed over something Jonouchi might have said or done last night? Jonouchi kept so many of his inner thoughts and feelings at bay; he’d die of humiliation if he’d ended up saying anything to make Kaiba like him less, or had made a fool of himself. Most people easily forgave the indiscretions of drunks but Kaiba didn’t seem like the type to be forgiving, even if a blunder had occurred at an alcohol-fueled party.

Sitting in the bed alone just made Jonouchi feel more and more anxious. Getting up, he tried to find his shirt, and after putting it on, he left the bedroom and wandered around the apartment.

First he went into the other bathroom, to wash his face. He needed to do something about his breath, and finding extra mouthwash, Jonouchi used it three or four times before he felt confident enough that he couldn’t smell vomit on his breath anymore.

Then he went from the hallway to the balcony, where he could see the living room and the large windows that gave a spectacular view of the city. Even during the morning hours, it looked incredible. Jonouchi’s own apartment had a nice view, but it wasn’t nearly as good as this; he could see the entire coast line alongside the buildings and surrounding mountains. It felt weird being in Kaiba’s apartment alone, and even though Jonouchi was sure Kaiba was taking a shower at that moment, it still felt strange. For the first time, Jonouchi really had to consider just how ridiculously wealthy Kaiba was.

Jonouchi didn’t understand how someone could just have so much fucking money. He knew a lot of it was inherited; Kaiba had a high salary but it didn’t go over a quarter of a million a year. From being at Kaiba Corp, Jonouchi learned more details about Kaiba’s life in a few months than he’d ever known in the years they’d been classmates; Kaiba Corporation was a publicly traded company ever since Kaiba took over after Gozaburo, but he still owned fifty-one percent of the stocks. Mokuba owned two percent, and the rest was traded in the Tokyo stock exchange, although some of the older, most senior executives also had significant shares from having been the primary investors back when Kaiba Corporation was still private and ran by Gozaburo.

Jonouchi didn’t really understand economics, he had no head for numbers. What he did understand, though, was how stupid expensive Kaiba’s place had to be, since it was right downtown. A two floor penthouse, in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Domino City, with the best views anyone could ever hope for. Standing there in his cheap underclothes, Jonouchi really felt like he didn’t belong there. He wasn’t meant to fit into a world like Kaiba’s, and honestly, he should still hate him a little for being so rich.

But Jonouchi didn’t know how to anymore.

He went downstairs, feeling intensely hungry now that he was up. Kaiba’s kitchen was practically sterile; there was almost nothing on the counters except for one fruit bowl with the most perfect produce Jonouchi had ever seen on display. Someone had to do Kaiba’s shopping, and when Jonouchi opened the fridge, he found numerous prepared meals stacked up in glass containers with dates on them. He also found protein powder in one of the cabinets, which wasn’t at all surprising.

Outside of dates, Jonouchi rarely ever saw Kaiba eat. He almost always worked out during lunch, unless he was sucked into a meeting where lunch was being served. And then, Kaiba was still strict about what he consumed.

No wonder he managed to get so fit. Jonouchi didn’t have the self discipline for that. He wasn’t bad looking, by any means, but he did not have the impressive physique Kaiba managed to achieve since graduating high school. Jonouchi loved food too much to ever seriously consider trying to sculpt his body into bigger, better shape.

He also didn’t have the money to eat like Kaiba did. It was almost all fruits and vegetables in the fridge; he found prepared brown rice, peeled whole eggs, and grilled salmon and chicken too. There was almost no red meat, very little dairy, and no processed sugar at all. Frowning, Jonouchi just grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl and ate it at the counter.

He was halfway done with it by the time he noticed Kaiba coming down the stairs. Avoiding his eyes, Jonouch stared at the kitchen counter in front of him as Kaiba walked past him, going into the cabinets and digging out coffee before turning back to Jonouchi.

“Do you want any? Water is better for a hangover but coffee will help you wake you up faster.”

Jonouchi tried to snap out of his feeling of awkwardness now that he was being addressed.

“If you have sugar I can put in it, yeah, I’ll have some.”

“I have sugar somewhere, you know how I take my coffee...”

Jonouchi snorted. He liked his coffee to taste like dessert. Kaiba’s two sugars did not compare to Jonouchi dumping two creamers and two sugars into his, stirring it until it turned into a pleasant cappuccino color. Usually he didn’t care about whether it woke him up or not, he just wanted it to taste really good.

Watching Kaiba intently, Jonouchi felt some relief to know that Kaiba was not mad at him. In fact, Kaiba seemed in a very good mood, better than Jonouchi had seen him in since Mokuba had arrived. He wasn’t smiling but he looked content, especially since his eyes looked relaxed, his jaw wasn’t tight, and his mouth wasn’t frowning for once. Jonouchi might even dare to describe him as looking happy.

“Did you just eat a banana?” Kaiba asked. He looked at Jonouchi’s half eaten fruit before fiddling with the coffee machine. “I can still take you out for breakfast if you’re up for it...”

“Go out to breakfast?” Jonouchi echoed. “What are you talking about?”

“Last night,” Kaiba explained, “I promised we could get breakfast, so you could talk to me about whatever you want. You don’t remember? You were in a mood last night, I thought you wouldn’t be able to sleep because you had so much to say...”

“So much to say about what?” Jonouchi questioned. “I blacked out. I don’t remember last night after playing the VR game. I don’t even remember meeting up with you at the party.”

“Oh, well...”

Kaiba visibly clammed up. His mouth went tight suddenly and Jonouchi felt uncomfortable. When Kaiba felt awkward, Jonouchi almost always immediately felt awkward too. His weird energy was obvious to Jonouchi, because despite his best efforts, Kaiba was now fairly easy to read. Jonouchi was around him so much, he knew nearly all his moods. Kaiba wasn’t very good at being completely stoic around him when they were alone.

“Well, what happened exactly?” said Jonouchi excitedly, “How did I end up here? What was I in a mood about last night? Why does my abdomen hurt so bad?”

Kaiba poured coffee into a mug and passed it to Jonouchi before turning to grab sugar from a canister and milk from the fridge. His voice was calm and collected, like he was trying to keep Jonouchi from reading too much into what he said.

“I found you at the bar last night with Suzuki and the front desk girls. You were taking shots and looked extremely drunk; I offered to take you home and you went with me but while driving, you asked to go to my place so I took you here. While in the car,” Kaiba paused, his face appearing more uncomfortable as he looked away from Jonouchi’s eyes, “You got really passionate about the speech I gave and we made out in the car. You turned it into oral sex, and before I could get off, you got sick and threw up outside the car so I got you into bed. That’s why you probably don’t feel too well.”

Fighting back the feeling of bashfulness that was settling on him, Jonouchi continued to look Kaiba in the eyes. He was withholding something. Jonouchi wasn’t completely sure of it, but he had an inkling. It seemed weird to him that Kaiba would be honest about the sex and vomiting but not whatever it was he was holding back from telling Jonouchi. He felt too awkward to really accuse Kaiba of being dishonest, he just could feel that Kaiba was choosing to keep something to himself, for some reason.

“I’m sorry about throwing up,” Jonouchi said, “I hope I didn’t get any vomit on you or your car.”

“You didn’t,” Kaiba replied back with a slight laugh, “You were quick to open the door. You don’t need to feel embarrassed about it.”

“Was the oral at least good?” asked Jonouchi jokingly, “Since I was extremely drunk and everything.”

“It was very... intense,” admitted Kaiba. “You were determined not to be hindered by the close quarters of the car. It made for an interesting experience.”

“Glad I gave you something to remember,” Jonouchi snorted. “Wish I hadn’t forgotten it, since I was so good and all...” He paused for a moment before remembering what Kaiba had brought up earlier. “What was I in a mood about last night?”

“Oh, nothing really,” Kaiba said, clearly trying to brush the topic off.

He was now getting coffee for himself, and he took a long sip, looking Jonouchi in the eyes as if hoping that would stop Jonouchi from pressing before realizing it wouldn’t.

“You told me you hoped I enjoyed the birthday party. I don’t remember everything you said, sometimes you get rambly when you get worked up,” Kaiba sighed. “You did bring up Tanaka Akiko, and I am sorry about that. I am not still with her, I just haven’t had the time to properly break up with her yet.”

“Yeah, I remember seeing you there with her,” Jonouchi frowned. “One of the few things I do remember.”

“I don’t know how she ended up getting invited in the first place,” snorted Kaiba, “I thought you were part of the planning process.”

“I didn’t write the damn guest list,” snapped Jonouchi. “If I had, I would have told you to break up with her before the party happened.”

“Things like that need to be handled delicately,” Kaiba cautioned. “Jilted ex girlfriends can turn into frustrated stalkers if you don’t handle them with care.”

“Something you learned from past experience, huh?”

That probably sounded more mean than Jonouchi meant to come off. Kaiba looked like he was offended, but not in an angry way. His eyebrows were furrowed and he was avoiding direct contact again.

“Yes, I handled the end of some casual relationships very poorly prior to seeing Tanaka,” Kaiba admitted. “I didn’t consider any of them very serious or meaningful... seeing Tanaka was not serious or meaningful to me... I just wanted uncomplicated, regular sex with someone who could keep their mouth shut. She might not have seen it that way, though. ”

“Well, what would have given her the wrong impression to think you might have liked her?”

Kaiba shrugged his shoulders.

“Tanaka liked attention but I didn’t want to go out with her, so I had my assistants take her out for me. You went out on a date with her before, so you already know all about that. Maybe she was confused about it. I’m sure a lot of busy business men don’t spend much time with their girlfriends...”

“Why would you buy her stuff then?” asked Jonouchi. “If it didn’t mean anything to you?”

“She was easier to deal with when she was happy. Giving her stuff made her happy,” replied Kaiba as he picked up his coffee and took a sip. “Sex with me really didn’t. She thought I was attractive but I don’t think she had any real appetite for me. She wasn’t very... responsive, whenever we were together.”

His words strayed off before he said anything else. Jonouchi could feel his cheeks and ears burning but he tried not to think about it. If he ignored the feeling, it would go away faster.

“You don’t want Tanaka to get upset and find out about us, I get it,” Jonouchi blurted out loud. “That’s probably a good thing to be concerned about.”

Jonouchi drank his coffee slowly, trying to think back to last night but failing over and over again to remember. He could just vaguely recollect meeting Kaiba at the bar. And that was more of a feeling than an actual visual memory; almost like he remembered a feeling he had from a dream although he couldn’t remember the contents of it. It made him sad.

“I don’t feel sick anymore,” Jonouchi announced, finishing the rest of his coffee. “If you let me use your shower first, I can get ready and then we can get breakfast together before I go home. Does that sound good to you?”

“Yes, of course,” Kaiba agreed. “I’ll try to find you something to wear.”

“Good idea,” Jonouchi snorted, “Although I doubt I could fit anything you own.”

* * *

Kaiba had taken Jonouchi to a high end cafe, with overpriced coffee and expensive breakfast sandwiches. Even after a shower, Jonouchi still felt tired and slightly out of place. Most of the people at the cafe were really well dressed, even though it was a Saturday. Wearing some of Kaiba’s old clothes, Jonouchi hoped he didn’t stick out too much. The pants he was wearing were a bit too tight on his hips and butt; the legs were a few inches too long as well but they were still better than trying to wear the dress pants from last night.

He was also wearing one of Kaiba’s blue sweaters. It was a little too wide across the shoulders, but that could be considered fashionable in some circles. No one was paying much attention to Jonouchi, thankfully, and they were ignored sitting alone in the back booth where most people couldn’t even see them.

Jonouchi wanted to know what he was so worked up about the night before, but it seemed as if Kaiba was trying to avoid discussing it. He roped Jonouchi into another conversation, talking about things that would be happening soon at work and telling him about the presentation he was going to give at KaibaLand on Halloween. Of course, Jonouchi planned to be there. He liked silly holidays, and holidays at theme parks could be especially fun.

One year, when he was still a kid, his parents took him to Tokyo Disney around Christmas. There were crazy parades, fireworks and holiday themed souvenirs. His dad even bought him a Mickey-themed Disney hat. The trip didn’t save his parents fucked up marriage, but it was a happy memory for him.

It would just suck being there watching Kaiba in public, having to keep his distance. Jonouchi knew Kaiba had an image to maintain. Neither of them wanted the questions or intense examination from observative fans. They really weren’t even supposed to be friends, so hanging around Kaiba would be a very bad idea.

Kaiba didn’t even say anything to him about keeping some distance; Jonouchi was smart enough to realize it without having to be told. He understood what the expectations were. With the way things were, they couldn’t be friendly around each other much without a lot of questioning and probing. Sure, most people didn’t pay Jonouchi much attention. He wasn’t considered a celebrity, just a talented local duelist. He didn’t have international fame or recognition, nor had he placed in any major competitions since Battle City. That had been years ago.

But everyone knew who Kaiba was. Fans watched him all the time; they probably also read his opinions on other duelists in magazines and blogs, knew his deck by heart, and had memorized his competition record. Kaiba was secretive about a lot of things, but when it came to his opinions, especially over anything related to duel monsters... Jonouchi had never seen him shy away from creating controversy. He was always open about who he didn’t respect and the world tended to take notice.

Jonouchi didn’t want that kind of attention, and he didn’t need it in his life, either.

After breakfast was over, Kaiba had offered to take Jonouchi home but Jonouchi took a bus to Yugi’s place instead. He hadn’t seen his friend in what felt like ages, and besides, he needed someone he could talk to. Yugi was so understanding, and Jonouchi hoped that when the day came for him to reveal everything that happened to him while working at Kaiba Corp, Yugi wouldn’t judge him too harshly.

He had to know what it was like to feel connected to another man. Jonouchi wasn’t entirely sure sometimes whether Yugi’s admiration for Atem had been purely platonic or not. He certainly thought their relationship was much deeper than a normal, caring friendship.

When he reached the Kame Game store, Yugi was working at the front, fiddling with displays. Jonouchi walked inside, rushing to the counters to look at all the new booster packs before buying several and going through the cards before Yugi’s grandfather stopped by to say hello.

He was getting so old. Jonouchi thought he was starting to look frail, and Yugi’s mother ushered Sugoroku back into the house before he could say too much.

“Mom doesn’t want him over exerting himself,” Yugi had told Jonouchi, “The doctors are worried about his heart. He’s had a few health issues this last year.”

“Have you taken over running the store?”

“Yeah, I have,” Yugi answered, “I like doing it. I think it makes Ojii-san happy knowing that the store will remain in the family after he’s gone. We’ve been doing really well lately, I’m going to start dueling in some competitions again to advertise the store.”

“That’s a pretty good idea,” Jonouchi agreed. “Maybe Mokuba would help you like he helped me if you reached out to him.”

“Yeah, that could be cool...” Yugi smiled, “As long as Kaiba doesn’t try making me his new assistant too.”

Jonouchi snorted at that. It didn’t seem likely that Kaiba would ever try something like that again. Besides, Jonouchi had a sneaking suspicion that messing with Jonouchi’s career path and undermining Mokuba were not Kaiba’s only intentions in putting Jonouchi in his department. Kaiba would probably not admit it anytime soon but he’d probably always found Jonouchi somewhat attractive and that had a role in putting Jonouchi so close to him, too.

As much as Jonouchi liked Yugi, he couldn’t picture him being sexy so he doubted Kaiba did, either.

“I don’t think you need to worry about that happening,” Jonouchi laughed, “He doesn’t have any openings. You’re safe.”

“I heard he had a big party at KaibaLand recently,” Yugi continued, “Wasn’t it his birthday yesterday? I saw something about it on tv.”

“Yeah, I was there,” Jonouchi said.

He laughed before touching the back of his head nervously.

“I don’t really remember too much of it though. I got super drunk and blacked out. It sucks, because I even helped plan the damn thing, came up with the idea of having it at the theme park and had to fight the professional event coordinators over it...”

“It seemed really cool from the pictures.”

Yugi sat at his stool behind the counter and folded his arms around his chest.

“I wish Kaiba would have given me an invite. As bad as things got between us, I really did want us to become friends. I don’t think he believes that I’ve forgiven him.”

“I wouldn’t take it too personally,” Jonouchi advised. “Kaiba doesn’t really have any friends. He’s not even getting along too well with his brother right now.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Mokuba was always his biggest supporter.”

Jonouchi frowned at that. He had seen Mokuba at the party, but he avoided talking to him. With everything that was happening, it was probably for the best. While under the influence of alcohol, Jonouchi did not want to end up saying something regrettable to him. Mokuba might forgive him, but he’d never forget it.

“We get along better now though,” Jonouchi said quickly, “Kaiba and I. I mean, it’s not like I’m as important to him as his brother, of course not, but it’s been... It’s been nice.”

It was better than nice, but Jonouchi wasn’t prepared to spill everything yet.

“Once I got better at my job, he stopped acting like an ass and actually now treats me like a real person. He even let me stay at his place last night...”

Yugi’s eyebrow raised at that. Jonouchi had probably spilled too much but it was too late now to take it back.

“He found me at the party,” Jonouchi explained, “I think I might have been separated from my friends. I’m not complaining though, I got to stay the night at his super swank penthouse. You should see it. Nicest apartment I’ve ever been in, and the bed was like sleeping on a cloud.”

“I’m happy he finally considers you a friend, Jonouchi-kun,” Yugi smiled. “Maybe he won’t feel so alone anymore.”

“I’d like to hope not. We spend a lot of time around each other.”

Before Jonouchi could say anything more, Yugi’s mom popped back in and the question of whether he was staying over for dinner came up. Of course Jonouchi agreed to stay; Yugi’s mom was a great cook and he wasn’t, having been raised on convenience food since his father never bothered to do anything. She took over watching the shop with Ojii-san while he and Yugi were sent to the grocery store to pick up items for dinner.

Jonouchi certainly didn’t mind. Yugi was fun to do anything with; he still had the same positive energy as before, even if the brightness in his eyes were a little less now. He carried his mom’s reusable shopping bags and knew the way to the neighborhood store his mom liked best; Jonouchi had a feeling Yugi was doing more chores outside the house now that his grandfather couldn’t be left alone for too long.

“Does your mom need help taking care of your grandfather?”

Jonouchi asked while they were looking over frozen shrimp for sale. Yugi shook his head but Jonouchi didn’t believe that. He only had his grandfather and his mom at home.

“Everything is fine,” Yugi promised, “Mom thinks Ojii-san might have some really early dementia symptoms, but it’s not bad or anything. He can still help around the store, he still knows what’s going on. He just forgets about a lot of things, old memories and stuff.”

“Stuff like what?” Jonouchi asked.

“Well,” Yugi scratched at his bangs. “He doesn’t remember too much about his travels anymore. I had to write down the stories so he could try recalling them in detail. He’ll mix up the dates and forget what he was doing in certain places.

“Even some more recent things, he’s forgotten. Like Kaiba, he doesn’t remember ever meeting Kaiba. He’ll see his face on billboards but not recognize him. Mom thinks this is a good thing, and I have to agree with her. Ojii-san never liked Kaiba much when he could remember him.”

“I don’t blame him,” Jonouchi frowned. “They didn’t meet at a good time.”

Yugi paused while putting stuff into his hand basket. His face looked troubled before he seemed to check himself.

“I actually applied to go to school locally for anthropology,” Yugi sighed. “And I had gotten in! But Ojii-san’s health declined and Mom needed help with the store, so I decided not to go. I didn’t want to burden anyone and I don’t mind taking care of the shop, I love games anyway.”

“Did you tell anyone else about this?” Jonouchi asked. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“You were busy with your own troubles,” Yugi explained. “I didn’t want you to feel like you had to stay and help me. I wanted you to follow your dreams. And then when the whole trouble with Kaiba happened, I didn’t want to distract you from doing well at your job.”

“Yugi, you should have said something,” Jonouchi sighed.

College was a big deal. Yugi was being dumb, in his opinion, although trying to handle school with a sick grandfather at home would be a lot of work. Yugi’s mom certainly couldn’t do it all alone, but if Jonouchi had known, he would have tried to help. Maybe they could hire a part time aide or something, someone who could go run errands or watch Ojii-san while Yugi’s mom worked at the store. Yugi should have said something earlier, his friends would have stepped up for him.

“There never seemed like a good time to tell,” continued Yugi. “It’ll be fine. Mom still wants me to compete in duel monsters again, as long as I don’t travel too far away.”

“You always seem to still win,” Jonouchi laughed, “And you all could use the prize money.”

“I could save up prize money to go to college later,” Yugi continued. “It’ll work out.”

When they returned to Yugi’s place, Yugi went back to watching the store and Jonouchi helped out by cleaning up the display windows and sweeping the floors. He was familiar with closing procedures; back in the day, Ojii-san made him work for personal training in duel monsters. It was never too hard but Ojii-san could be so particular about cleanliness, he cared a lot about the appearance of the store and keeping things tidy. Yugi wasn’t as neat, so Jonouchi did his best to straighten things out before they returned inside Yugi’s home to eat dinner.

Yugi’s mom made seafood curry with tempura shrimp and boiled edamame. They had it with green tea and Jonouchi forced himself to behave while they shared dinner together. He didn’t want to upset Yugi’s mom, especially after she’d provided him dinner. When he’d been a teenager, she had sometimes complained about his vulgar language. Of course, he knew better now than before. He was forced to use keigo every day at work. It hadn’t been that long since high school but Jonouchi managed to change quite a bit, in order to keep his job and avoid trouble.

When dinner was finished, Jonouchi helped Yugi with clearing the table and washing the dishes. Ojii-san tried talking to them for some time, mostly complaining about the dueling of young kids in the youth competitions, but eventually he got tired and Yugi’s mom had to help him to bed. When he was gone, Yugi started talking about competitions he was considering entering.

He tried to encourage Jonouchi to look into them too, but Jonouchi knew he didn’t have the time for any of it. He was always at work, and when he wasn’t at work, he was usually someplace with Kaiba. While he still loved duel monsters, with all of his heart, he also really loved spending time with Kaiba. He didn’t want to give up his time, especially since his probationary period was almost over and he was going to be leaving the country.

There would be plenty of opportunities to compete in California.

“Do you mind if I stay the night here?” Jonouchi asked once the dishes were gone. “It’s late and I feel so tired. Besides, I feel like I haven’t been able to see you in forever.”

“Yeah, I don’t mind. I still have that extra futon from before you can sleep on.”

Jonouchi helped him set it up after they finished watching tv. Nothing much about the Mutou house had changed; Jonouchi found the extra bedding right where Yugi’s mom had been keeping it for the last few years. The duvet was the same plain blue one that Jonouchi had used many times as a teenager; it was sometimes better for him to stay at Yugi’s place than have to deal with his dad’s drunken outbursts.

The old man could range from sobbing hysterically over some half forgotten memory to raging over a slight that he created in his head while sucking a bottle dry. When it got really bad, Jonouchi had to avoid beer bottles being thrown at him like well-aimed torpedos. He’d have to lock his door to get away from him but even after doing that, his dad would still park himself in front of Jonouchi’s door and tear at him for a good ten or so minutes, raging until he’d pass out.

Most days at school, Jonouchi had been too tired to concentrate. He slept through classes and no teacher ever tried to ask him about what was going on at home. Since grade school, he’d looked different and that made him a target. Teachers hated him on sight and middle school taught him to protect himself with violence. It was the one thing he understood and trusted, and he’d grown faster than most of the other boys in his class.

He’d looked like a much older teenager when Hirutani had recruited him. Jonouchi had lied about his age. So badly, he wanted to be seen as cool. And dangerous.

Once Yugi had changed and was in bed, Jonouchi just laid on his back thinking about that stuff. He needed a plan for dealing with Hirutani. Sending him money wasn’t making him any safer. Jonouchi would have to go back home, and he knew that there was a possibility that Hirutani would pop back up again, trying to drag Jonouchi into something he wanted no part of. Yugi’s family could probably use the money, too. He wanted to pay them all back.

“It’s when I’m in bed like this, not able to sleep, that I miss him the most,” spoke up Yugi out of the blue. “We used to talk for hours to each other. I knew he couldn’t stay with me forever, but it still hurts.”

Jonouchi turned to his side to look up at Yugi. He was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling with a frown on his face.

“I wouldn’t have you as a friend, Jonouchi, if it wasn’t for him.”

“Yeah, I know,” said Jonouchi, “Although your taste in jewelry might also have something to do with it too.”

That made Yugi smile a little bit.

“Does Kaiba ever say anything about him?” asked Yugi, looking down at Jonouchi now, “I know he doesn’t feel the same way I felt about him but they had a strong relationship too... even if it was pretty antagonistic.”

“No, he doesn’t bring Atem up,” Jonouchi answered quietly. “I don’t think he really tries to think about the past much anymore. He seems very focused on the future. I used to hate his rants about focusing on the future but maybe he was right. Dwelling too much on Atem is going to hurt you more than help, Yugi.”

“Yeah I know,” Yugi said. “I just feel so sad sometimes.”

“You should try talking to Kaiba sometime,” Jonouchi suggested. “Just not about Atem.”

Yugi eventually closed his eyes and went to sleep. After some thought, Jonouchi went ahead and did the very same.

* * *

Monday came too soon. Jonouchi didn’t mind waking up early, and he certainly no longer minded running errands for Kaiba. He was used to getting his coffee and often got a coffee for himself too before going to the office. It was nice to arrive early before everyone else, so he could actually admire the architecture at KaibaCorp and not feel like he was in everyone’s way.

Jonouchi still didn’t like being a desk jockey, though. When he got to the executive floor, he was greeted by Hana and Yui. They were giggling to themselves as Jonouchi went to his station carrying two coffees and a banana for himself. Yui, who was the far more confident one between the two of them, approached Jonouchi’s desk and cleared her throat as Jonouchi looked up at her.

“We didn’t mean to lose you last Friday night, Jonouchi-kun,” Yui began, “I hope you made it home alright.”

“Oh, I was fine,” Jonouchi replied.

He still didn’t remember all the events of that night but he wasn’t too worried about it, either. In the past, he’d get drunk and wander off from his friends. Honda was always the one trying to keep him under control.

“Don’t worry about it, I hope you had a good time too.”

“Oh I did, it was really great,” Yui answered.

She had a flirty way of speaking that Jonouchi would have liked more if he wasn’t already into someone else. Her hair was auburn colored, tied up in a tight bun on the top of her head. Her eyes were large and the color of honey. Jonouchi had a feeling she wore contacts but she still looked really good in them.

“I just wanted to ask, do you plan on going to the Halloween event? Hana and I are going to go and you could join us if you’d like.”

Jonouchi blinked. When he glanced at Hana, she was blushing and trying to avoid looking him in the eyes. She was cute, with a small round face and big dark eyes. Her hair was always long and neat, so black it looked blue under the light. She always wore light makeup to make her skin glow. She was exactly Honda’s type.

“I was planning to go with some friends from high school,” Jonouchi answered, “If you are alright with it, you two could always join our group. I know Hana is trying to duel and I could introduce her to Mutou Yugi, he’d give her good advice if she asked.”

“Oh that would be so cool,” Yui gushed, “I always wanted to meet Yugi. He was the one who defeated Kaiba-sama years ago, right?”

“Yeah, that’s him,” Jonouchi snorted, “We were friends before all that happened though.”

“So you knew Kaiba-sama back in high school?” Yui asked.

Jonouchi couldn’t lie. Hopefully Yui wouldn’t pry too much. He didn’t want to answer any potentially exposing questions about how well he knew Kaiba.

Jonouchi remembered what it was like to be curious about him.

“Yeah, I knew him in high school,” Jonouchi tried to answer carefully, “More like, knew of him. We didn’t talk to each other much. Kaiba-sama always kept to himself.”

“Oh, what a shame!” sighed Yui. “He’s always so mysterious. I wonder what he does when he’s not at work.”

Jonouchi shrugged and tried to turn his attention back to his computer. Thankfully Yui took the hint and returned to her station. She immediately started talking to Hana, and Jonouchi could see them gossipping to each other from the corners of his eyes. They were both nice to him and he liked hanging out with them, but he felt like something was developing. They were trying to keep a secret from him.

Taking Kaiba’s coffee and the daily schedule, Jonouchi quickly headed towards Kaiba's office and avoided looking at them as he did so. He still felt their eyes on him, and the feeling didn’t go away until he was safely inside.

Kaiba was working at his desk but he lifted up his eyes to look at Jonouchi while he continued to type. Jonouchi left his coffee at his desk and set up the planner for Kaiba, who looked over it briefly before looking up at Jonouchi and smirking.

“I talked to Asato about your duties and after some negotiating, we were able to make time for you to get dueling lessons at KaibaLand on friday afternoons and saturday mornings,” explained Kaiba. “It would help you keep your skills up, since I have a feeling you haven’t dueled in some time.”

“Not since that last big tournament, no,” Jonouchi answered, “I talked to Yugi some about entering competitions but I figured I wouldn’t be staying here for very long now so I didn't sign up for anything yet. ”

“You should still get practice in,” said Kaiba, “Real practice. I know you used to study with Yugi’s grandfather.”

“He’s not well enough for that anymore,” Jonouchi sighed, “And besides, if I went to him for help, he’d try to hire me to work at his store again.”

Kaiba opened his mouth like he was going to ask something but he paused before words came out of his mouth. Jonouchi could tell that he was thinking about something, however briefly, before deciding to move along.

“You’ll have a professional coach to help you twice a week. If you want to practice more than that, you’ll have to do it outside working hours but the coaching will still be covered by the corporation as a part of your ongoing training,” explained Kaiba. “Is this something you want to do?”

“Yeah, of course!”

Jonouchi felt extremely excited. Finally, he would be doing something he loved and would be paid for it. Hopefully the coach wasn’t a prick. He’d only ever worked with Sugoroku, he didn’t know what professional coaches were like. Probably tough, if this guy worked for KaibaCorp. Now he wondered if Kaiba used coaching to get good but Jonouchi was a little too shy to ask.

“Also,” Kaiba continued, “Check your mail room when you get home today. I sent a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?” echoed Jonouchi. “If you had something for me, why didn’t you give it to me last Saturday?”

“You were hungover,” Kaiba answered.

He took a sip of his coffee and turned his attention back towards his computer.

“And I tried to give it to you later after breakfast, but you wanted to go visit Yugi.”

“You could have come with me, you know,” said Jonouchi.

He crossed his arms now, looking at Kaiba with a grin on his face.

“I know you don’t think too much of him but Yugi likes you. He considers you a friend. He wants to see you.”

“I was busy.”

Jonouchi rolled his eyes. Kaiba was busy until he decided not to be busy. If Jonouchi decided he wanted to go back to Kaiba’s place with him, Kaiba would have probably made himself unbusy. Jonouchi really wished Kaiba would try giving other people a chance. Everyone needed some friends.

“Yeah, okay,” Jonouchi answered neutrally.

It was morning and Kaiba was his boss at the moment. He wasn’t going to make something out of it while they were supposed to be getting shit done.

“I’ll be at my desk if you need something.”

The day went by rather slowly. Jonouchi spent his morning doing paperwork for Asato before taking a late lunch. Suzuki had grabbed him lunch from the cafeteria, which was serving a pretty decent beef curry that Jonouchi ate at his desk while trying to finish up reports. He watched Kaiba go by, first to the gym in his new workout clothes, and then later returning with a large sport’s tumbler in his hand. Jonouchi assumed that it was a protein shake. He thought protein shakes tasted too grainy to be something he’d want to be drinking everyday but Kaiba probably bought some kind of expensive brand that tasted better than the stuff Jonouchi saw at fitness stores.

After lunch, Jonouchi had to run errands throughout the building. It was a pain, because KaibaCorp had so many different departments and sub departments. He had to talk to different managers he didn’t know; some of them behaved like dicks. Going to the legal department wasn’t too terrible, since they were familiar with Jonouchi and were used to Kaiba pulling them away to go look at stuff in his office but the finance guys were absolute pricks. The people in marketing were only slightly better, and it was exhausting trying to be extra polite to people who took a lot of pleasure in being self-important and dismissive.

The last thing he had to do before leaving the office was pick up clothes in Kaiba’s office that needed to go to the dry cleaners. When he went into Kaiba’s office, Jonouchi found him still working but now dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt. His hair was damp. He must have taken a shower after his work out and didn’t bother to get back into nicer clothes.

It must have been nice to have that kind of freedom. Kaiba could just lock himself inside his office and refuse to meet with anyone for the rest of the day. Really, the only people who would make a serious fuss about him being in casual clothes were some of the department heads, because they were so uptight about shit in general.

Jonouchi didn’t like them; they routinely looked down on the younger staff members and seemed resentful of Kaiba. Jonouchi watched them during the meetings; although they all used keigo when speaking to Kaiba, Jonouchi could tell from the looks in their eyes that they begrudged having to do it. Kaiba was young enough to be some of those mens’ grandchild.

Jonouchi scrambled around, looking for the bag Suzuki had mentioned. Kaiba pulled it out from underneath his desk and snorted, Jonouchi grabbed it from him before heading out the door. He could feel Kaiba’s eyes watching him, the tips of his ears burning. Nervous, he forced himself not to look back at Kaiba, in case he was checking him out or something, which would just make Jonouchi feel even more flustered.

Of course, he liked attention. He loved attention, especially Kaiba’s attention. But he always had a fear that someone would just walk in on them at the wrong time...

“Don’t forget to check your mail room,” spoke up Kaiba.

Jonouchi opened the door and left, leaving the office to catch the bus that would take him to Kaiba’s favorite cleaners. It wasn’t until he got there did he realize that Kaiba had sent Jonouchi’s clothes from the party with his own things to get cleaned.

When Jonouchi got home, he was careful to stay under the lights while approaching his building. He nearly jogged the whole way up to the doors, and once he was inside, he relaxed and headed towards the mailroom. Using his key card to open the door, he found a package with his name on it. Investigating it, he was surprised to find that it was slightly heavy, and he headed upstairs with it before going into his apartment and setting the box on his coffee table.

The label said that the sender was Kaiba Corporation. Jonouchi knew Kaiba had sent it to him, but he probably didn’t want it being traced to him personally. Using scissors to cut through the tape, Jonouchi opened the box and was surprised when he found the newest gaming console inside of it. Kaiba hadn’t even released it yet. It was due to go on sale during the holidays.

Pulling it out, Jonouchi marvelled at it for a time before setting it up. It looked similar to a playstation, but it was wider and had a slightly more funky design. The top of it had the shiny KC symbol on it while the rest of it was matte black. The sides of it glowed a neon blue when turned on. It looked very sleek and modern, and he had received two controllers with the console along with three KaibaCorp exclusive games he could download immediately.

Jonouchi wasn’t very tech savvy, but he managed setting it up without a problem. The console was called a “Mirai 1.0” which Jonouchi found kind of clever. “Future 1.0” sounded like something Kaiba could have come up with himself.

Taking out his cell phone, Jonouchi texted Honda to ask him over.

‘Bring over some pizza, I got something cool to show you’.

A few seconds later, he got a reply back. ‘I’m getting pizza now, I’ll be there in 15. What is it? How cool is it?’

Jonouchi took a picture of the console and sent it to Honda. Within seconds he got another text.

‘HOW THE FUCK DID YOU LAND ONE OF THOSE?!?!’

* * *

Like Jonouchi had guessed, Hana was exactly Honda’s type. They all met at KaibaLand, and Jonouchi had introduced Hana and Yui to his friends. Yugi, Anzu, Honda, and Ryou had all come to the event. It was the first time in a long time that all his closest high school friends were together at the same time, which really made Halloween feel special. Hana immediately warmed up to Yugi and started asking him questions while Yui complimented Anzu’s Halloween costume.

Out of the group, only Honda and Jonouchi himself weren’t dressed up. Jonouchi liked Halloween but he didn’t want to pay for a costume he wasn’t going to wear again and he didn’t have the patience or talent for arts and crafts. Honda was probably just too lazy to do anything. Yugi wore an outfit similar to Satoshi’s in Pokemon while Anzu was dressed up like Kasumi. Ryou was dressed like a zombie. He was so pale looking, it kinda disturbed Jonouchi just a little bit.

Walking into KaibaLand, Jonouchi had to juggle the awkwardness of Hana trying to talk to him constantly while Honda was also competing to get her attention. Jonouchi wished he could be frank with her and just tell Hana he wasn’t interested. She was really beautiful but even if he hadn’t been sleeping with Kaiba, he still wouldn’t have been into her. She was so demure, and she seemed shy in a way Jonouchi didn’t really like. She behaved like she was trying to gain other people’s approval any time she spoke. Jonouchi had never been into that. He’d always liked flirty, slightly aggressive girls who didn’t care about following social conventions.

The crowds were growing and Jonouchi had a feeling the park would be packed by the time Kaiba would arrive to give his presentation. They’d come early enough to get standing space close to the stage. Jonouchi would be able to see Kaiba without needing to look at the big screens set up around them but there was nowhere to sit. They’d be stuck standing, waiting for the show to start next to impatient middle schoolers and high schoolers. There were also other young adults their own age around, some of them rowdy and loud. A few of them were even chanting Kaiba’s name, as if their commitment to saying his name over and over again would somehow conjure Kaiba onto the stage.

Jonouchi zoned out as his friends talked around him. Eventually Hana got distracted by Honda’s perseverance and Jonouchi was able to disappear into his own thoughts while staring at the big screen standing behind the stage. They were broadcasting KaibaCorp commercials. Most of them were things he’d seen at work; a lot of what KaibaCorp did wasn’t related to gaming per say but gaming was what Kaiba was most famous for. Holographics for medical training, military exercises, and design firms changed the world but most young people only really paid attention to the stuff that was related to duel monsters and the theme parks.

That’s why KaibaCorp was so big. There were so many departments that focused on niche products only Kaiba’s company could make. Jonouchi wondered about it often since working under Kaiba. Obviously it made a lot of financial sense to diversify and not let the technology go to waste by just using it for entertainment but back when they were still all teenagers, Kaiba seemed to only focus on the gaming aspect of his corporation. Something had to have inspired change. Jonouchi had never asked anyone about it before but maybe he should ask Kaiba, next time they were alone.

Some kids in the crowd were even dressed up like Kaiba, wearing homemade versions of his signature white leather trench coat from Battle City. As often as Jonouchi had visited Kaiba’s place, he’d never seen that thing around, not even once. He’d thought it was a cool jacket, back when he was younger but he also thought it was pretty outlandish looking too. It definitely wasn’t something Kaiba should be wearing all the time, even if it made him look intimidating and tall. Honestly, Jonouchi thought he looked hot wearing it years ago.

He just didn’t like admitting that to himself before. Hating Kaiba was easier than having to sort through all the conflicting, intense emotions Jonouchi felt and wasn’t quite ready to come to terms with.

Jonouchi crossed his arms and frowned. They’d be together tonight, in the same place, but he wouldn’t be able to speak to Kaiba. He’d have to wait until the next working day to see Kaiba, or hope he wasn’t too busy to see him after dueling practice. It sucked. Jonouchi wanted to be supportive. Although Kaiba appeared to be so confident and self-assured all the time, Jonouchi knew he had his moments of doubts. And since Mokuba was so sporadic about supporting him, often reacting negatively to Kaiba’s company, Jonouchi felt like he should be there for him instead.

He hadn’t seen Mokuba all week but he knew he was still in Japan. If he had left the country, it would have been announced or something. Maybe he’d taken a trip to a branch office of KaibaCorp; there were smaller offices in both Tokyo and Osaka.

Turning his head, Jonouchi looked at his friends. Yui and Hana saw Jonouchi in Kaiba’s presence all the time. They were laughing, sharing stories about incidents at work. Yugi was smiling and Honda looked flabbergasted as Yui explained the workplace dynamics between them all, mentioning Suzuki and Asato. When she mentioned Kaiba, Honda flashed his eyes at Jonouchi and smirked.

“You see stuff at KaibaCorp all the time, so please explain this to me. How did Jonouchi manage not to get fired yet?”

Yui and Hana looked at Jonouchi and Jonouchi just rolled his eyes. He didn’t like it when Honda brought up Kaiba. Honda low key hated him and liked to use Kaiba as a way to get under Jonouchi’s skin. It always worked.

“Jonouchi-kun is a very hard worker,” Yui explained, “He always tries, even when he gets things wrong. No one expected him to be perfect in Kurihara-chan’s old role, there’s no one else like her in the world. Kaiba could never rattle her.”

“And she never cried,” interrupted Hana. “Kaiba-sama is so demanding, and intimidating, but she never got scared of him... I cried at least twice the first year I worked at the front desk. The first time was because I screwed up transferring a call to his office... and he complained about my handwriting too...”

“You’re just so sensitive, Hana,” teased Yui. “Kaiba-sama is very tough on his assistants, and sometimes even tough with us. It’s a good thing, though. It makes us better employees and will help us if we ever decide to go to another company. We get a lot of good training. I like working at KaibaCorp.”

“Me too,” agreed Hana.

“It’s really not that bad,” argued Jonouchi. “Kaiba was mean the first few weeks I got there but after that first month, it got way better.”

“Jonouchi-kun even got picked to go to an out of town conference,” Hana chirped. “He got to ride in Kaiba’s private jet.”

Honda looked almost jealous hearing that. His friends looked at him with disbelief, everyone except Yugi, who Jonouchi couldn’t quite read. He felt like Yugi could just read his mind. It was a good thing it was already dark because Jonouchi could feel both his cheeks and ears burning and he had to turn his face away to not feel more uncomfortable than he already was.

“It was a boring conference,” remarked Jonouchi. “I nearly fell asleep several times while having to sit through all the seminars.”

“Suzuki-kun told me you got to hang out with Kaiba-sama one on one though,” said Yui. “That’s pretty cool. Most people don’t get that kind of chance.”

The noise level suddenly erupted as music began playing and everyone’s attention was directed to the stage in front of them. A video intro started, going over the history of Kaiba Corporation’s duel disk technology. Jonouchi gasped when he saw brief flashes of both himself and Yugi in the video. It had to be footage from Battle City. Honda bumped him on the shoulders when they appeared, and Jonouchi immediately covered his face in his hands as he felt his face catch on fire again like he’d sprayed pepper juice on himself. He wasn’t sure if Kaiba had made that decision to include him in it or if someone else had. It wouldn’t have made a difference though, Jonouchi couldn’t help but take his inclusion rather personally regardless.

Only himself, Yugi, and Mai were featured in the video, as well as Kaiba himself. People were gasping and making comments before it turned away from Battle City and focused back on the highlights of the original duel disk model, explaining its qualities and shortcomings.

Then suddenly, the stage lit up and Kaiba himself was standing there with a new device, the prototype duel disk that Jonouchi had seen during meetings in photographs and blue prints. It was sleekier looking than the Battle City duel disk; it looked a lot less bulky but it also was sexier than Kaiba’s first design he used during Duelist Kingdom. It was the best of both worlds, a metallic silver color with flashy blue and red detailing. It looked way lighter to use and Jonouchi knew he wanted one as soon as Kaiba played a card on the field.

Mokuba was standing on the other side. He had a sharp grin on his face. They looked so much like each other now. When Jonouchi looked at Mokuba’s face, he saw so much of Kaiba in him, especially in the eyes. They were so alike. Mokuba had darker hair and grey eyes instead of blue, but with the shorter hair cut and recent maturing, he was starting to resemble Kaiba more and more each time Jonouchi saw him.

Shizuka didn’t look anything like Jonouchi. He never thought Mokuba might change so much while becoming older.

Kaiba and Mokuba were engaging in a mock duel. The graphics looked impressive and somehow, the effects of the duel disk managed to make the monsters look even more real than before. When the Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared on stage, it looked massive and heavy. When it flapped its wings, gusts of wind actually starred up. Its screech was nearly ear piercing. Jonouchi could have sworn it even had some kind of smell, but he wasn’t sure. The duel disk was managing to fuck with his senses in ways no machine should have been able to.

The dragon seemed to recognize Kaiba too. It appeared to have more personality and character. When Kaiba placed it in defensive mode, it actually used its body to block Kaiba entirely from view and snapped at Mokuba’s feet. Even though it wasn’t real, Mokuba still tripped to get out of its way, his facial expression a mix of panic and delight. His monster, Golgoil, defiantly attacked the Blue-Eyes White Dragon despite being way too underpowered to take it on.

Predictably, the Blue-Eyes defended itself, but instead of the typical bursts of light as a monster destroyed another, instead the crowd witnessed the Blue-Eyes do a full attack on the mechanical creature. It pinned it down with its fore hands and tore the monster apart, tearing sheet metal off its body, before crushing it in its jaws. Then when finished, it tossed the carcass into the crowd, the body bursting into light before it could touch anyone.

People screamed and cheered. Jonouchi was impressed. He’d never seen anything so lifelike before. Hopefully the game wouldn’t become too graphically violent, but he was thrilled to see more intense combat. He couldn’t imagine the hours and work that had to have gone into the engineering, to push it that forward technology wise.

Kaiba had to have played a huge part in it. Jonouchi felt so proud of him.

Yugi looked impressed and Honda’s jaw had dropped. Anzu looked excited and disgusted, probably because she’d witnessed a murder on stage. They didn’t even exchange comments as Kaiba went into a speech explaining the new duel disk and all the upgrades they’d made to it, using a new video that showed the new internal hardwire and what not.

Jonouchi wanted to congratulate him. It would probably be near impossible to find Kaiba after he was done speaking, and besides, he was there with his friends. They were supposed to catch dinner after and he couldn’t just disappear from his friends. Even in a massive crowd, Yugi or Honda would start texting him and would definitely try looking for him.

He didn’t want to split from his friends but he really wanted to say something to Kaiba, because the presentation was incredible. If he said it at work, it would just be his compliment on top of everyone else’s. Sure, Kaiba probably would appreciate Jonouchi’s more because they liked each other, but still. He didn’t want to sound like an employee gushing over his boss.

He wanted to be supportive... like a boyfriend.

When the presentation ended, the crowd dispersed around the park. Honda wanted to go on the roller coaster and most of the group agreed to head that way. Jonouchi had to pull himself away from the stage and he followed his friends to the thrill rides, the coaster was very close to the big amphitheater where the duel competitions were held. It was where he’d won his last competition, back when Kaiba had publicly insulted him. It was still an annoying memory, even if Jonouchi wasn’t angry about it anymore.

Yui and Anzu paired off together along with Ryou, Hana, and Honda. Jonouchi liked coasters but he didn’t feel like going on one. He decided to wait with Yugi, looking through the crowds just hoping Kaiba would suddenly appear.

“I can’t wait to get the new duel disk,” Yugi started.

He was bouncing on his feet.

“I hope KaibaCorp will let us sell some, I’ve been working on trying to become one of their stores.”

“You should email Mokuba or something then, I’m sure he’d hook you up.”

“You think so?” asked Yugi. “I mean, we’re friends... but I don’t know if Mokuba would help me just because of our relationship.”

“You won’t know if you don’t try,” said Jonouchi.

Yugi’s store has more rare collectibles than big box games, but that didn’t mean Mokuba or Kaiba wouldn’t be interested in doing a partnership. He was sure Kaiba would appreciate the Kame Game Shop, since it had a lot of things that Kaiba liked... like antique chess sets. He hadn’t played against Kaiba since their blow up at the hotel in Osaka but Jonouchi had seen Kaiba play chess online more than once against strangers when he was supposed to be doing work in the office...

“I’m going to go get some taiyaki, I’ll be right back.”

Jonouchi left and went to some food stall. He ordered two, because he felt bad about leaving Yugi by himself. One chocolate, one red bean. Yugi liked red bean but Jonouchi thought it tasted too sweet. His dad never had it around the house and his mother used to avoid buying it because his dad hated it so much; it was one of those things that sometimes made Jonouchi feel like an outsider. He thought chocolate was better so he took that one for himself and ate it while returning to where Yugi was waiting.

Returning, he saw Yugi in a conversation with Mokuba. Wearing a hoodie, Mokuba looked far less conspicuous than he did while standing on stage in nice clothes; Jonouchi almost overlooked him. Excited, Jonouchi approached but when he reached them, he could see Mokuba become uncomfortable, his eyes avoiding Jonouchi’s.

Unsure of what was wrong, Jonouchi looked around him before looking at Mokuba oddly. Yes, they’d had some tension around each other since Kaiba spilled their relationship to him, but that was some time ago. Mokuba wasn’t a bigot. He would have gotten over it by now, right?

“You looked so good on stage tonight,” Jonouchi gushed, his nervousness making him speak faster than usual, “I had no idea if you were even still in town. I hadn’t seen you at KaibaCorp all last week. Were you sneaking off to practice for the presentation?”

“We rehearsed it once secretly, and it wasn’t that big of a deal,” snarked Mokuba.

Jonouchi made a face. Why was Mokuba being rude to him? Unsure how to respond, Jonouchi just tried again.

“I know Yugi and I both want to get the new duel disk as soon as it comes out. I had no idea that it could get better than it already was.”

“It was so cool,” Yugi marvelled. “I wonder if Dark Magician would recognize me now like Kaiba’s Blue-Eyes did him.”

“I want to play Red-Eyes,” said Jonouchi, “I’ll have to find a way to test it out in a street duel, if I can’t find a way to avoid the cops.”

“I’ll duel against you, Jonouchi.”

When Jonouchi peered at Mokuba, he looked bored. He looked like he wanted to just walk away from them. It made him frown.

“Do you play duel monsters now, Mokuba?”

“No.”

The answer was short and abrupt.

“I know you and your brother aren’t exactly the same, but I bet you’d be great at it if you ever decided to give it a try.”

“You’re right Jonouchi, we aren’t exactly the same,” Mokuba answered harshly. “I already have to work ridiculously hard to get out from under Seto’s shadow at KaibaCorp.”

Feeling slightly upset, Jonouchi didn’t even want to bother anymore. He glanced at Yugi, who looked concerned as well. Jonouchi opened his mouth, trying to think of something smart to say, but he couldn’t come up with anything. Mokuba had burned him.

Closing his mouth shut, he just looked off and frowned, crossing his arms against his chest and removing himself from the conversation. Mokuba jumped back into whatever he was talking about before Jonouchi had arrived, without skipping a beat.

He could be such a fucking dick, just like his older brother.

It was around that moment that Jonouchi’s friends returned. Hana and Yui both looked delighted to see Mokuba and Anzu gave him a hug. With three attractive young women surrounding him, Mokuba looked pretty pleased with himself. Jonouchi tried to ignore him, turning his attention to Yugi, who looked at Jonouchi with a frown.

“Why was he upset, Jonouchi-kun?”

“I have no fucking idea,” mumbled Jonouchi.

He couldn’t help but watch Mokuba. He was showing pictures on his phone. First it looked like he might have been going through an album but then suddenly they all crowded together and posed, Mokuba taking a picture with all of the girls together. Of course he’d like that. Jonouchi rolled his eyes.

“He’s mad at me about something,” explained Jonouchi, and he looked down at Yugi before shrugging. “I’m not going to waste my time worrying about it.”

“Don’t you think you should talk to him?” Yugi asked.

He was right, Jonouchi probably should but he didn’t want to.

“What if this affects your job?”

“It’ll be fine,” Jonouchi promised. “I’m finally on Kaiba’s good side, believe it or not. I can’t really discuss it with you now but Mokuba’s been at odds with me ever since Kaiba decided to like me. I understand why he’s upset... but yeah, I can’t really talk about this right now.”

Yugi looked at him confused. Of course he was confused. This was the first time Jonouchi mentioned getting along with Kaiba. Not just being civil towards each other, but actually treating him like someone he wanted to be around. At some point, he’d have to tell Yugi everything. He had a feeling he’d understand, more than the rest of his friends.

“I need to get away for a moment, I’m gonna go take a walk,” said Jonouchi. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

He left Yugi and his friends and headed towards the other side of the park. His path was aimless and he felt like all his excitement from earlier had been drained from his body. Who knew Mokuba’s ire could have such an effect on him? He didn’t want Kaiba’s brother hating him. He didn’t understand it.

Sure, the situation of Kaiba sleeping with him while also being his boss was not ideal, at all... but they weren’t going to stay together for very long. Jonouchi would be leaving... eventually. He had to, whether he wanted to or not. Was he not allowed to be happy, even for a short time?

He'd wanted Kaiba to like him for the longest time, as a friend. Mokuba had to just turn around and fucking spoil it.

It was probably too late now to even look for Kaiba. Fiddling with his phone, Jonouchi sent a text to him, just in case he was in the park.

‘I’m at the office.’

Seriously? Jonouchi furiously typed back, biting his lip as he waited for a reply.

‘I left right after the show. We can meet tomorrow.’

Letting out a big sigh, Jonouchi pocketed his phone and sat down on a bench. He didn’t notice when someone came up to him, standing near his left side before sitting down next to him. When Jonouchi turned his head, he saw Mokuba, still on his phone.

“Did you follow me here?” Jonouchi asked.

“Of course,” answered Mokuba. “We need to talk.”

“Do we? Because that will depend on what you want to discuss,” answered Jonouchi.

He felt really heated up. Kid brother or not, Jonouchi wasn’t going to just be nice to Mokuba because he was Kaiba’s sibling if he was looking to pick a fight with him.

“I’m not on company time right now.”

“This isn’t something I can discuss with you at work,” Mokuba replied back sharply. “You and my brother. We need to discuss what happened.”

Jonouchi gave Mokuba the most appalled look before shaking his head.

“I don’t think so,” Jonouchi bit back, “What happened between Kaiba and I is none of your business. I’m not going to talk to you about it.”

“Fine. I’ll talk at you about it instead.”

Mokuba stood up and moved to stand in front of Jonouchi. He was bigger than he was as a kid but he still wasn’t as tall as Jonouchi. Stubborn, Jonouchi refused to look up at him and just stared at his hands.

“We had a good arrangement, Jonouchi. I know Nii-sama complicated it by not letting you leave right away, but why would you then decide to turn around and start sleeping with him? You two don’t even like each other,” argued Mokuba. “And you are putting yourself at risk.”

“People change, Mokuba,” Jonouchi barked back angrily. “It was never my intention to hook up with him but it happened... and he's not the same person anymore... How is this any of your business?”

“I’m the COO! Of course it’s my business to know. Jonouchi, if anyone found out,” Mokuba stressed. “It would be all over the news. Do you have any idea how bad that would be for the both of you?”

Pausing, Jonouchi opened his mouth and then closed it, his teeth pushing hard against each other.

“We’re not stupid. Kaiba’s not stupid,” Jonouchi stressed. “We’ve been careful.”

Mokuba sighed and Jonouchi could sense the frustration, his arms were crossed and his face was tense. He’d seen Mokuba upset and riled up as a kid plenty but this was different. He wasn’t an adult yet, but he wasn’t a child really either. Jonouchi could tell that he was trying, and failing, to keep his tone in check. Jonouchi was trying to be somewhat respectful too, but Mokuba’s questions really pissed him off.

“You shouldn’t see him anymore, Jonouchi,” said Mokuba in a low voice.

He was speaking slowly now, and Jonouchi could see how hard he was trying to stay calm and collected. Unlike Kaiba, he was not good at hiding his emotions.

“Seto’s not good for you. Seeing him is a risk and whatever is going on between you two is not worth your career.”

“How can you even say that, you don’t know what’s going on,” Jonouchi shot back. “You’re how old, sixteen? I’m thankful that you got me a job and that you are trying to help my dueling career, but that doesn’t mean you get to control the rest of my life. I know Kaiba’s your older brother but you don’t know everything about him-”

“-I know more than you do,” Mokuba replied back angrily. “I don’t understand what you two see in each other, but it’s not going to last long. And when it ends, what do you think is going to happen, Jonouchi? You think Seto is going to break up and be civil afterwards? You think he’s going to just let you move on with your life and not try fucking with your career again?”

“You really think your brother is that awful?”

“He is that awful,” Mokuba yelled out. “Look how you got here. Seto thrives on power trips. He’s not going to be reasonable if you two end things on ugly terms. He’s your boss, Jonouchi.”

“He’s not going to fire me,” Jonouchi snorted in defiance. “They have laws against that sort of thing anyway.”

Mokuba snorted.

“He’s a multi-billionaire. No one is going to listen to you if you try complaining. They won’t believe it. He could smear you. You have no idea what he’s capable of doing, Jonouchi. What are you going to do if he decided to turn all his wealth, resources, and power against you?”

“That’s not going to happen,” Jonouchi continued to argue. “We’re friends. He’s not an awful person, and it’s pretty sad that you really think all those horrible things about him. I know you two are having problems with each other right now, but leave me out of it. He’s been nothing but a good brother to you and you shouldn’t be saying such ugly things about him.”

“Seto is selfish,” said Mokuba. “Always has been. I was just too young and naive years ago to realize it when I was younger.

“I’m not saying these things to be mean to you, Jonouchi. I want to help you.”

“You have a funny way of showing you care then.”

Jonouchi didn’t want to argue with Mokuba anymore. He wanted to rejoin his friends. Never in a million years did he imagine getting into such a heated argument with Mokuba, who he had always considered his friend. Yeah, he was a brat sometimes, but he’d always had a good heart. How could he think so badly of his brother, who had been there for him and protected him for years?

“It’s more than just a sex thing between us, Mokuba,” Jonouchi stressed. “I care about him and I know he cares about me. I know he’s also your brother and you’ll always have that connection with him, but Kaiba’s changed. You don’t know everything about him.”

“I know enough about him to know that even if he does care about you, he’s never going to put you first. He’s never going to be open and honest about you because of the risk of scandal. You’ll always be just a friend.”

Jonouchi frowned. He didn’t try to think about it but he knew that was true. A sex scandal could hurt Kaiba’s company, and it could hurt everyone who worked for him. Thousands of people worked for Kaiba Corp. There were a lot of people’s livelihoods on the line. He would never ask Kaiba to do something that could put all of that in jeopardy, even if he wished he could be expressive and affectionate in public.

He learned already at a young age that he wasn’t going to get everything he wanted in life. That was just how it was.

“That’s fine. I’m not asking him to be anything more.”

Mokuba looked disappointed by that answer. His face was all wrinkled up. It looked like he wanted to say something smart but he just couldn’t think of anything. Finally, Jonouchi felt like he’d taken the upper hand. He didn’t want to explain himself anymore, and he was tired of being berated by Mokuba. Yes, he was his boss, but he was also sixteen. He’d never cared about another person, not romantically, and he was still getting over whatever disappointment he felt from realizing that his brother wasn’t a perfect person. Was that something all teenagers had to grow through? The difficult process of realizing that their superhero parents were just flawed people? Kaiba wasn’t even an adult when he started trying to care for him...

Jonouchi had always accepted Kaiba’s numerous flaws. He was under no impression that Kaiba was easy going or kind hearted. He was a difficult, complicated man with many demons... and Jonouchi understood that. He hadn’t gone through the same experiences but he’d certainly gone through hell during his youth and it took a friend to pull him out of there and turn things around for him. Jonouchi couldn’t have done it alone and Kaiba deserved someone who would see that potential in him. Someone who wouldn’t abandon him because he was imperfect and challenging.

If that meant getting burned a few times, so be it.

“I’m going to go back and see my friends now,” said Jonouchi. “I’ll see you later.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay.

It was Sunday and Jonouchi was still bothered over the argument he had with Mokuba the other night. He laid on top of his bed thinking about it while staring up at the ceiling. At some point he got hungry and ate his breakfast; two onigiri with salmon inside of them that he’d bought last night before getting home. He still didn’t cook, as a rule, but he tried to cut down on getting junk food and focused on just buying the best prepared meals he could find at the grocery store close to his apartment.

He wasn’t sure what he would do that day. Kaiba said something about seeing him over text last night but Jonouchi was too nervous to try getting a hold of his attention that morning. Maybe he should try keeping his distance a little. He didn’t really believe the nasty things Mokuba said about Kaiba; he had changed so much in the last few months.

Kaiba was not a bad person, and it upset Jonouchi deeply that Mokuba would assume the very worst of him... but he was right about one thing. Kaiba was his boss, and he was rich beyond belief. He also did flex his power to get what he wanted from people, even if he didn’t do it to Jonouchi anymore.

Those points bothered Jonouchi more than he cared to admit. Although he didn’t know exactly how wealthy Kaiba was, he knew he was the wealthiest man in the prefecture, maybe even one of the wealthiest people in Japan. Considering all the crazy things that Kaiba did and all the resources that he owned, he had to be worth over five billion, at least. Maybe more.

Jonouchi didn’t know. Kaiba had his hands in so many projects, it was confusing to try and separate them from what he did privately and what he did through the corporation. Jonouchi had really never paid much attention to that stuff before, because he honestly didn’t really care (he’d made it his personal mission to always downgrade Kaiba’s importance as much as possible while they hated each other)... But now he was curious.

Asato knew the answer, without a doubt, but she wouldn’t tell Jonouchi that out of the blue. Suzuki would know though. And so would Yui. Neither of them would consider it weird if Jonouchi asked.

Jonouchi really didn’t want Mokuba to be right. He didn’t want to not see Kaiba anymore because of their massive differences in social class. That sounded so dumb and shallow a reason to end things. Both Kaiba and Mokuba had been broke, family-less orphans before without anything, so they weren’t somehow better than Jonouchi just because Kaiba was daring enough to get a narcissistic billionaire to adopt him over a chess game. That stuff shouldn’t matter, if they cared about each other. Kaiba wasn’t even that much of a snob when it came to his wealth.

Laying on his bed, Jonouchi continued to think about it, a frown growing on his face the more he replayed Mokuba’s words and arguments.

Then his cell phone started buzzing. Picking it up, Jonouchi saw a new text from Kaiba.

‘Can you play tennis?’

Jonouchi snorted. Of course he could, they were taught some in high school. He was more of a baseball fan, thanks to his dad, but he’d played tennis enough times in gym class to understand the basics. He was certainly athletic enough to not completely fail at it.

‘I remember it from high school.’

The phone was silent for a few minutes and Jonouchi grabbed his computer to look over the rules when suddenly Kaiba answered back with another new text.

‘Good. I’m taking you to the Domino City Athletic Club. I’m going to pick you up in half an hour. Wear something nice. There’s a dress code.’

Wear something nice? Dress code?! Jonouchi snorted before putting his phone down. He didn’t really own nice clothes outside of his outfits for work. Why the hell would Kaiba take him someplace where he’d get judged on his appearance? He would rather go waste his Sunday at an arcade or something.

‘I don’t really own nice work out clothes though.’

Jonouchi only had the ratty clothes he’d worn in high school, and they weren’t nice enough for any upscale club that Kaiba might try taking him to. He probably should have replaced them sometime ago, but Jonouchi was cheap. He didn’t think work out clothes needed to be expensive, or fashionable, since they were meant for sweating in. He liked how Kaiba dressed when he went to the gym but Kaiba was different from the average person in so many regards.

Kaiba answered his text again.

‘I went shopping for you. Just get ready.’

Scrambling, Jonouchi went online and looked up the dress code for the club. Sport jackets, slacks, collared dress shirts and golf shirts were all permitted. It advised that he have a sport’s jacket, because some areas required them. Jonouchi thought it was all fucking nuts, but thankfully he had some of those things from having to dress up for the golf outing. He didn’t think he’d ever have an occasion to wear those clothes again...

When Kaiba arrived, Jonouchi met him two blocks away from his apartment building, lest anyone recognize his car. When he got into the passenger side, Kaiba dumped a duffle bag into his lap.

“I had to guess your size.”

Curious, Jonouchi opened the bag. It was all brand new clothes, with the tags still on. Trendy athletic wear and Nike shoes with the kind of louder prints that Jonouchi actually liked. Unlike Kaiba, he did enjoy a pop of color every once in a while, and he was absolutely shocked that Kaiba would just spontaneously buy him a bunch of things because he wanted to take him out. He wasn’t quite sure how to react. The clothes weren’t cheap, and there was no way he’d ever be able to pay Kaiba back or give him anything of equal value.

“You bought a bunch of fancy new clothes so you could take me with you?” Jonouchi stammered. “Why didn’t you ask Mokuba to go play with you?”

“He’s ignoring me again,” replied Kaiba. “And I told you last night we could do something today.”

Jonouchi bit his lip, putting the stuff all back into the duffle bag.

“You could have picked to do something free.”

Kaiba snorted at that as he drove the car. He looked amused and Jonouchi saw the slight twinkle in his eyes when he did glance at Jonouchi before focusing back on the road.

“Buying some clothes isn’t going to hurt me,” said Kaiba, “And you said you didn’t have anything suitable. I like going to the club to work out, when I’m not trapped at Kaiba Corp. You might like it too.”

“Sounds a bit fancy,” noted Jonouchi, “I don’t think I’d fit in there.”

“It’s not that bad,” defended Kaiba. “And besides, you’d be my guest.”

Jonouchi continued to feel unsure about that, but he was incredibly thankful for the clothes. For the rest of the ride, he stayed relatively quiet as he thought about the night before, unsure whether he should bring it up or not. If Mokuba wasn’t talking to Kaiba again, that probably meant that Kaiba wasn’t aware of their spat at the park the night before.

Unsure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, Jonouchi just sat back and pondered over it. He didn’t want to make Mokuba out to be the bad guy, but he was still upset with him. Vice president or not, he had no right to insert himself into his and Kaiba’s personal business.

He was a teenager. What did he know about romantic relationships?

When they reached the club, Kaiba stopped the car in front of the building and a valet took the keys from him. Jonouchi grabbed the duffle bag, still feeling a bit awkward as he followed behind Kaiba into the building. It was a very large glass building that resembled an upscale hotel from the front despite the katakana sign that read “Domino City Athletic Club” on the front. There were well dressed people inside, and Jonouchi quietly stood behind Kaiba as he checked them in at the front desk.

It looked expansive. There was a big lobby with modern furniture and tables set around a fireplace and young executive types were sitting there on their laptops working. Almost all of them had fruit smoothies, and when Jonouchi followed Kaiba past the front desk, he noticed a fruit smoothie bar where several young people waited in line as employees juggled orders.

Why did any gym need a fruit smoothie stand? Kaiba Corporation had a gym for employees, and Jonouchi had seen it during his initial hiring tour. It was very nice, nicer than anything Jonouchi had experienced before (mainly his high school’s boring gymnasium and plain locker room) but the athletic club went beyond that.

When Kaiba headed towards the men’s locker rooms, Jonouchi nearly gasped as they walked inside. It was ridiculously upscale; white subway tile walls with grey slate floors and shiny, clean black lockers stationed in four sections along the wall. Kaiba had his own locker towards the back of the room, and Jonouchi quickly went through the new clothes to make sure they’d actually all fit him.

And surprisingly, they did. Even the shoes were perfect. It was weird. Kaiba must have checked his sizes at some point, maybe when he was asleep or something. That, or he was just freakishly good at guessing.

“You don’t have to play tennis with me if you don’t want to,” said Kaiba as he broke the silence. “I could always find someone else who doesn’t mind getting their ass kicked.”

“Hey now, it’s just a game,” Jonouchi warned.

Was Kaiba going to be competitive over everything he did? Probably.

“And I said I knew how to play. I’m capable of hitting a ball with a racket.”

“I like fast games.”

“What, you think I’ll be too slow to keep up with you?”

Jonouchi shook his head as he tied his shoes using the bench they had placed their things on.

“I might not work out as often as you, Kaiba, but I’m perfectly capable of playing a tennis game.”

“I want to feel like I actually worked out when I finish playing,” said Kaiba with a smirk, “I want to feel tired. Can you do that?”

“I can give you a work out,” snorted Jonouchi. “Challenge accepted.”

He shoved his clothes and duffle bag into Kaiba’s locker before sitting down on the bench. Kaiba was slower getting dressed, taking his time tying his shoes, but he looked like he was ready. His face thankfully wasn’t as stern as he looked right before a duel but he did look determined, which made Jonouchi feel jittery in turn. Kaiba’s eyes always got a reaction out of him, and when Kaiba finished tying his shoes, Jonouchi followed him out of the locker room.

They went downstairs one level before reaching another area where two attendants sat in front of a wall of different sports equipment. Kaiba got them two tennis rackets and a ball. Jonouchi didn’t have a chance to look at everything else they offered before he walked past the desk and went beyond into a hallway of different indoor courtyards set up for racquetball, squash, pickleball, badminton, and indoor volleyball. Kaiba went to the very back, where a full sized tennis court was completely empty. Opening the glass door, he walked inside, holding the door for Jonouchi, who entered in after him.

“What would you have done if I didn’t come along?”

“Play by myself,” Kaiba answered. “I don’t mind practicing alone. It’s still effective cardio. Usually someone will walk by and challenge me to a game if I wait long enough.”

“Is tennis the only game you play, Kaiba?” Jonouchi asked snarkily, “This place looks pretty bougie. I couldn’t imagine paying a monthly fee here just to practice one sport.”

“I swim too,” answered Kaiba. “There’s nothing here I’m not familiar with.”

He got on the floor and began stretching. Snorting, Jonouchi sat down and joined him. He felt silly at first, because he was always the kind of person to just jump into things without preparing too much, but when they started to actually play, he was glad that he followed Kaiba’s example.

They played three sets with six rounds each. The first few were terrible; Jonouchi was not as coordinated as he thought he was. Kaiba wasn’t mean to him but he also wasn’t pulling too many punches; Jonouchi was forced to catch up quickly and try meeting each volley as best he could. When it came his time to serve, he didn’t have too much of an issue getting the ball on Kaiba’s side but Kaiba was a tricky player, and it took Jonouchi a few tries before he caught up with Kaiba’s technique and could better predict his moves.

By the second set, Jonouchi had mostly caught up. He was still trailing behind Kaiba but neither of them were really keeping score. As tired as Jonouchi felt from trying to keep up in the game, he enjoyed competing against a competitive Kaiba who wasn’t trying to throw insults at him. He was quiet and focused, barely speaking at all. Maybe he was trying to save his breath.

Jonouchi hadn’t exerted so much energy in a while, and he could feel hot beads of sweat pouring down his forehead and back. When they took a quick break, he used a towel for his face and tried drinking from the new water bottle Kaiba had gotten him, but it wasn’t enough.

On the third set, Kaiba was starting to get slow and Jonouchi could tell that he was tiring. Not enough that Jonouchi had any chance of beating him, but enough that he could relax just a tiny bit more. He could hold his own better, since Kaiba wasn’t trying to show off so much. Jonouchi even tried pulling a few moves of his own, now that he could remember how to play. Muscle memory took over, and he seemed to finally be giving Kaiba the kind of challenge he was looking for when they came upon the second to last round.

Between serves, Jonouchi looked behind him and noticed a couple standing right behind the glass wall watching them play. The woman looked very young, wearing her hair in a high ponytail with the classic tennis-style skirt while the man held two rackets in his hands with his arms folded across his chest.

“He’s the trainer here,” Kaiba said, “Don’t mind him watching.”

“Wait, you get lessons here?”

“Sure, why not?” Kaiba positioned himself to serve again, “If you are going to bother doing something, you should aim for doing it well. Preferably better than most people.”

Jonouchi clicked his tongue in disagreement.

“Is that what you consider fun? Being better than most other people?”

“Of course,” Kaiba answered, “I like being better than everyone else.”

Jonouchi rolled his eyes. Kaiba sounded mostly facetious but he could tell that there was a tad of truth behind his words too.

They went back to the locker room together after finishing, and grabbed towels and shower shoes from the front. Jonouchi was absolutely drenched in sweat. He felt gross from sweating through his new clothes. He wasn’t even sure how he managed to play that hard. Kaiba looked hot too with a noticeably more reddened face but Jonouchi still thought he looked worse. His hair was sticking out of control and he couldn’t get his bangs to stop sticking to his forehead.

The showers were at the back of the locker room. Each shower was hidden behind frosted glass doors; there was a black stool there with a shelf and hooks for towels and clothes. Beyond that was the actual showering area, which somehow managed to look nicer than what Jonouchi had at his apartment. There were a few young men milling around in different states of undress so Jonouchi did his best to keep his eyes to himself and went into the little booth alone to undress. Kaiba took the shower next to him, and although they couldn’t interact with each other, it still felt like they were sharing some sort of secret between the two of them.

There were dispensers on the wall with soap, shampoo, and conditioner. Desperate to get clean, Jonouchi used all three on himself. He liked the smell of the soap; it was some kind of tea tree oil, which made his skin tingle. The hair wash was higher in quality than what he had at home, too. He went to work really trying hard to clean off and Jonouchi hoped that they wouldn’t just get dressed and then part aways from each other. He knew Kaiba didn’t have that much free time because of his work responsibilities, but Jonouchi wanted to spend the rest of the day with him. Soon he’d be planning to leave Japan, and Jonouchi didn’t want to have to think about it.

They hadn’t had sex in what felt like forever. Although Jonouchi was apprehensive about Mokuba just showing up at Kaiba’s apartment and the ongoing feud he was now reluctantly a part of, he didn’t want to give up his sexual relationship with Kaiba. He liked how it felt being with him, and Jonouchi liked feeling connected to him. Sex was really the only time Kaiba was completely vulnerable with him, even if he behaved more relaxed around him now.

Jonouchi wanted to instigate something but he wasn’t exactly sure how to go about it. He didn’t want to come off as desperate or needy. Hopefully Kaiba had more planned for them.

Changing back to his nicer clothes, Jonouchi got dressed quickly. He avoided looking around the locker room, lest he make inappropriate eye contact with some guy passing by. It was something he still felt kind of awkward about, trying not to show interest when he saw an attractive guy. He didn’t have to hide it from Kaiba anymore, thankfully, but strange men who were probably straight were better left ignored than admired. He didn’t even look at Kaiba, who was getting dressed right next to him in front of his locker. Jonouchi waited patiently for him to finish up, sitting on the bench playing with his phone, before they left the locker room.

When they returned to the main lobby, Jonouchi suddenly understood why there was a smoothie bar around. He felt intensely hungry. After working out, he needed something to eat. The ongiri wasn’t enough and his stomach growled loudly as they passed by the smoothie stand.

“There’s a restaurant on the third floor,” said Kaiba, “I could buy us lunch.”

“Oh, would you?” Jonouchi answered back, feeling a tad desperate now that his appetite had returned, “I’m gonna die if I don’t eat something soon.”

“I think you’ll survive. Follow me.”

Kaiba led him to the elevator. As if either of them wanted to take the stairs after nearly playing their legs off. Jonouchi felt relieved when they reached the third floor, and he immediately saw a small restaurant with a hostess standing ready to take them to a table.

They got a table tucked in a corner. The restaurant had nice views of the city; Jonouchi recognized the main street now that he could see around the building beyond its front entrance. They were close to Kaiba Corporation, at the edge of the business sector. This had to be the place where all the young, rich software moguls went to socialize and be around their own kind. Most of the patrons looked like they were in their thirties and forties. There were a few men dining not that far away from them, at a long table, and they all resembled the kind of men and women who worked at Kaiba’s office. Same dress, same mannerisms, same way of talking.

No wonder Kaiba felt so comfortable there.

When they got menus, Jonouchi looked over the selections with intense interest. The menu was mostly upscale yoshoku items like croquettes, meuniere prepared fish, various pasta dishes, hamburger with demi-glaze sauce, fancy beef curry, and other western-inspired cuisine. Curry was Jonouchi’s favorite thing to eat, and he was immediately tempted to order it but then he thought about his plans for that evening.

He didn’t want to eat anything that might not digest well, and he knew that eating beef was probably not the best idea if he was planning to have sex later. Kaiba always seemed to get the lightest options available but Jonouchi wasn’t used to that. He didn’t want to be hungry hours later, and for most of his young life, he’d lived without food security.

To avoid trouble, he ordered chicken katsu with rice and miso soup while Kaiba ordered a seasonal salad with tomato soup and a roll. It occurred to Jonouchi that Kaiba didn’t really eat for pleasure; when the food arrived, the salad actually looked somewhat appealing, because of the bright colors and the variety of vegetables. He was intrigued by the deep yellow squash blossoms, something he’d never seen before in any kind of salad. For most of his life, Jonouchi had always been adverse to ordering “girly” options like salads.

Sitting together alone, Jonouchi felt apprehensive bringing up Mokuba. He needed to tell Kaiba about what happened but he was very conflicted about potentially widening the wedge that existed between the two brothers already.

“You know the Halloween event last weekend,” Jonouchi started, his voice low as he tried not to sound upset recalling the event, “Your brother approached me after the demonstration. I tried to be friendly to him but he literally went off on me.”

“Went off on you about what?” asked Kaiba.

He made a face that looked annoyed before he picked up his fork and played with his salad.

“Did he start harassing you about seeing me again?”

“Yes, he did,” Jonouchi answered. “Mokuba really offended me this time. I get that he’s your brother but he’s also just sixteen. I told him to leave me alone about it.”

“And what did he say to that?” asked Kaiba.

“Oh, the same bullshit,” Jonouchi complained. “He said I shouldn’t see you anymore, because our relationship is too much of a risk to the company. He called you selfish and smeared your character. He talked down to me like I was some sort of dumb fan girl of yours.”

Kaiba sighed and rolled his eyes.

“This is why I was upset about you telling him about us,” Jonouchi continued. “I knew he wasn’t going to be cool about it.”

“I thought he would have gotten over it more quickly.”

Jonouchi snorted, feeling slightly incredulous.

“Are you serious?” he asked. “You thought he would have just gotten over such a big surprise in the matter of just a few weeks?”

“You were the surprise, Jonouchi,” Kaiba tried to explain, “He knew about my sexuality already. Yes, choosing to spend time with you of all people had to have come as a shock since we never did see eye to eye before, but he always liked you. I didn’t think he would get so fixated on office rules about fraternization over being happy for me...

“You two are still friends right now, right?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Jonouchi muttered, “Although I really don’t want to see him again anytime soon.”

“That might be hard to do, since he is your boss,” said Kaiba. “And you’ll be leaving soon.”

“Please don’t remind me.”

He should have felt more excited about moving but Jonouchi didn’t. His food was perfectly cooked but his mood made it so he couldn’t really taste anything. He ate absentmindedly, his eyes staring at his plate and seeing nothing. Mokuba still spoke to Jonouchi like he was trying to protect him, but Jonouchi didn’t want or need his protection. Kaiba wasn’t some predator and Jonouchi wasn’t a clueless idiot, either. He had chances to get away from Kaiba and Jonouchi rejected them. Kaiba was important to him, beyond just the satisfying sex.

It wasn’t like it would be difficult to find someone else willing to have sex on the down low. There were all sorts of people who hid their true sexuality to avoid social disgrace. Kaiba couldn’t be the only hot guy out there with a secret. If Jonouchi had been hard pressed, he could have looked online or something.

But he didn’t and he never wanted to. He tried to be completely casual about it with Kaiba, and he’d failed. Even as a high schooler, he’d always cared about Kaiba. He seemed like someone who needed to be cared about, since he was so alone and isolated from others. Jonouchi couldn’t help himself. He wanted to help Kaiba like Yugi had helped him.

“I’ll try to talk to him about it,” said Kaiba as he interrupted Jonouchi from his thoughts. “I’ll tell him he needs to stop harassing you.”

“That might make it worse,” Jonouchi sighed. “I don’t want him to hate me.”

“He’s not going to hate you.”

Kaiba took a bite of his salad, turning over a tomato with his fork.

“Mokuba just needs to be told when he’s stepped over the line. If he has a problem, he can come to me. He should be leaving you out of it.”

“I don’t want to be talked about,” Jonouchi clarified, “I don’t want to be the topic of discussion between you two.”

Kaiba paused and looked at Jonouchi. He wasn’t frowning but his face still looked rather unhappy. Jonouchi didn’t feel too good either. It wasn’t his objective to hang out with Kaiba and complain about his younger brother all throughout their lunch together. It was so uncomfortable, speaking about Mokuba like that and it didn’t feel good at all having to do it. Jonouchi just wanted things to return to normal again. He wasn’t sure how he’d be able to speak to Mokuba again, without feeling upset after what happened on Halloween.

Jonouchi wanted to be liked by other people. Mokuba was someone he’d always treated rather well, and it hurt being disrespected by him.

“I’ll try my best to keep our conversation about just him and I then,” spoke up Kaiba, “Next time I see him. I still don’t know where he is.”

Jonouchi sighed.

“What does he do, live off some allowance you give him?”

“He has a bit of his own money. I never thought giving him the ability to be somewhat independent would backfire on me so spectacularly...” complained Kaiba. “I could find out where he is if I really wanted to, but I don’t think it would help. Tracking him down and showing up unannounced would just make things worse.”

Nodding his head in agreeance, Jonouchi returned to eating his food. He wished his appetite had been better. Jonouchi couldn’t eat all the rice and he didn’t finish the soup but he did manage to get through all the chicken. After years growing up poor, Jonouchi refused to throw away perfectly good meat. Even if he couldn’t exactly taste it due to his upset, he still forced himself to finish it and tried to look like he was enjoying his time with Kaiba.

After they finished and Kaiba paid the bill, they gathered their things and returned outside. It didn’t take long for the valet to return with Kaiba’s car. Once inside, Jonouchi slumped a little in his seat before awkwardly looking back at Kaiba.

“You’re not going to just take me back home now, are you?” he asked.

“Not unless you want to go home.”

Jonouchi shook his head.

“I want to hang out with you. Even if you’re busy, I can watch tv or something while you work.”

“That’s good, because I will be busy,” Kaiba explained. “Not all night, but for the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening.”

Kaiba started explaining some project he was working on, a program he had started on his computer. It wasn’t quite ready to be made; Kaiba was meticulous about designing things before he tried making them. That meant he’d be sitting on his computer for hours, researching what parts he’d need and where to source them from.

He seemed to always be doing something. When they returned to Kaiba’s place, Kaiba moved his laptop to the living room and sat at a table behind the couch to work while Jonouchi parked himself on the sofa. Laying out, he took the remote and channel surfered for a while before settling on some silly game show.

Kaiba waved him over and tried explaining the project to him. Jonouchi could only understand the very basics. He’d always been good with his hands. His father had done model kits with him as a kid, so he understood the very basics of crafting things but Kaiba’s expertise went far beyond Jonouchi’s capabilities. First it was the duel disk, now he was working on creating a new and improved electronic tablet that had holographics. He was fiddling with a chess program, a very basic game that Jonouchi still was learning how to play well.

It had to be easier making an improved tablet than trying to update the first duel disk but Jonouchi didn’t know. He wasn’t an engineer, and he didn’t plan on trying to become one, either. Kaiba liked explaining things and Jonouchi liked listening to him, he loved the direct attention from him but he didn’t expect to actually understand everything Kaiba told him. He just admired him more every time he showed him a new project he was working on.

“If I get this right, I could create a whole new market for them,” Kaiba had explained, “We could one day overtake Apple products in popularity.”

“Do you want to do that?” Jonouchi asked.

“Of course,” Kaiba had answered with a smirk, “My technology is better than theirs.”

Backing away, Jonouchi scoffed before laying out on the couch. He decided to make himself at home since Kaiba wasn’t complaining about him and he used a pillow as a head rest while watching the dumb game show he’d picked to watch earlier. It wasn’t like he was really all that invested in it; Jonouchi felt pretty drained from the tennis. Despite all his confidence in his abilities, Kaiba managed to kick him in the ass and he knew that he needed to practice if he ever hoped to keep up with him consistently.

The constant typing of Kaiba’s fingers on his laptop was rhythmic. Jonouchi felt his eyes dropped and becoming more comfortable, he sank into the cushions of the couch before falling asleep.

* * *

When he woke up, the room was dim and the city lights were shining outside. When Jonouchi looked up and behind him, he saw that Kaiba was gone from his place at the table. There was a throw blanket on him, and Jonouchi got up and hung it over the couch before considering what to do next.

Kaiba had to be in his office. It seemed like the most likely place for him to be hiding out at that hour. Jonouchi considered looking for something to eat for a moment, but then he remembered his concerns from earlier. Neither of them had drank anything that day and Jonouchi wanted to have sex that night without having to worry about any messes occuring. He’d read up some things on his own time, about how to stay clean. It was best to eat something after they were done fucking, to ensure there was no goof ups.

He knew Kaiba could handle most things but Jonouchi would die of embarrassment if feces appeared during what he considered to be a passionate moment between them. Jonouchi didn’t want to try living that down which meant he needed to be more careful.

Instead of eating, he drank an entire glass of water and then went up the stairs to the hallway where the home office was. He liked the office, despite having been stuck in there before back when Kaiba had first taken him on. While Jonouchi certainly didn’t enjoy office work, he liked to watch Kaiba work because he always seemed so productive and focused. Coming to the door and preparing to knock, Jonouchi fleetingly wondered if Kaiba had always been that way since being a kid. It seemed very possible to him.

“Kaiba, are you in there?”

There was only a brief pause before he heard a response.

“The door isn’t locked.”

Hesitating for only a second, Jonouchi opened the door and stepped inside. He was familiar with the office, and walking past the chess set that was still sitting on a coffee table, Jonouchi approached Kaiba from behind and put both of his arms around his neck before sighing into the back of his head. Kaiba’s hair smelled nice, even though it wasn’t his usual scent. Not moving away, Jonouchi let his arms travel down from Kaiba’s neck to his chest, going down his pectoral muscles before grazing his abdomen.

“I can’t type while you’re trying to feel me up,” protested Kaiba with a slight laugh. “What are you trying to do?”

“You left me downstairs by myself,” answered Jonouchi, “You should have woken me up.”

“You were tired.”

Jonouchi pulled away. He straightened himself out slightly as Kaiba swung his desk chair towards him. Kaiba moved close enough that he could hold onto Jonouchi’s hips; they stared at each other for a short moment before Kaiba tugged him closer and Jonouchi managed to take a seat in Kaiba’s lap. Kaiba’s hands held onto Jonouchi, and before he could really respond, he found himself being lifted up and carried out of the room.

He let out a yelp from surprise as Kaiba quickly rushed across the office, going into the hallway and heading towards his bedroom. It would have been easier to keep himself up if he wasn’t so tired, but his thighs were still hurting from earlier that day. When Kaiba dropped him on the edge of his bed, Jonouchi compliantly collapsed on his back, closing his eyes for a brief moment before looking to watch Kaiba changing in the bathroom.

He sat up and smiled. Jonouchi thought it would take more work to separate Kaiba from his work, but he seemed motivated to get away from it. Kaiba brushed his teeth first before washing his face and inspecting his complexion.

“You look good,” Jonouchi called out, laughing at Kaiba’s surprised reaction to his words, “Same as every time I see you.”

“I don’t always look good.”

Jonouchi wasn’t going to argue with Kaiba even though he was mostly wrong. Sure, he’d seen Kaiba looking rough a few times, but there had always been difficult circumstances responsible for that. Waking up from a coma rarely ever left someone looking fantastic. Kaiba still managed to be functional, despite it all, and when his life wasn’t being threatened by corporate goons, he always managed to appear well put together. Even in high school, Jonouchi never saw so much as a zit on Kaiba’s face. He had the best looking skin he’d ever seen.

Rolling his eyes, Jonouchi sighed, “Kaiba, I don’t want to waste the night watching you pick at your face. Can you hurry it up and get back here?”

Kaiba rinsed his face and turned off the light before leaving the room. He shut the door behind him before moving towards his closet, where he took off all of his clothes except for his boxer briefs. They were black, and Jonouchi admired the color. He usually preferred to wear brighter colors himself, because he could never pull off a dark color like black, but he loved seeing Kaiba in it. His skin was so fair, it always looked complimentary. Jonouchi’s, in comparison, was a few shades darker.

“Why are you in such a rush tonight?” snorted Kaiba. “It’s not even that late.”

“I’m tired,” Jonouchi whined, “But I don’t want to go to sleep yet.”

Kaiba laughed. He finally stood in front of Jonouchi, looking down at him with his pretty dark eyes. Jonouchi liked the shape of Kaiba’s face, but he liked his slim, dark brows in particular. They were always so expressive. Even when Kaiba was trying to control his emotions, Jonouchi could now start to read his feelings just from how his eyebrows moved. He also had the most incredible shade of blue he’d ever seen in any person’s iris’ and he liked how his dark eyelashes looked. It was unfair, really, just how good looking Kaiba really was.

“Why not?”

Kaiba stood near the edge of the bed. Jonouchi moved closer, standing up on his knees. Even with the help of the bed, Kaiba was still taller than him. Jonouchi had gotten over being bothered by that; he didn’t like Kaiba’s height before because it made him feel unmasculine in comparison. It used to bother him how Kaiba could look down at him when they’d both been angry teenagers, but now it was kinda thrilling to be standing near him and having to look up into his eyes. He liked manly looking men, and he especially liked how Kaiba could pick him up and carry him around.

Sometimes he felt a little homely, when he compared himself to Kaiba. Jonouchi knew he was good looking compared to most other men, but he still didn’t turn heads. He didn’t have a special presence when he entered a room. People liked him and he could get attention from girls, but he wasn’t striking. He had an appealing face, according to Anzu, and he was built lean without looking super skinny or frail, but Jonouchi had always found his body kinda disappointing. When he was younger, he wanted to bulk up big, so he could look more strong but his body just refused to gain weight. He had muscles, of course, but they stayed the same shape no matter what he tried to do.

It didn’t help either that his face kept him looking young. People at work often confused him for a high schooler rather than an adult employee.

Kaiba, in stark comparison, looked like he could be an action hero from a Hollywood blockbuster. He’d gained muscle mass since high school, and his body no longer looked so lanky like before. Jonouchi had always thought that Kaiba looked attractive before, but now he really looked apart. There was no way Jonouchi could be in the same league as him.

Tanaka Akikio had a perfect looking body and did modeling gigs all over Singapore. Jonouchi didn’t doubt that all of the rest of Kaiba’s exes had similar resumes. What did Jonouhi have besides a nice ass and a cute looking face?

This wasn’t the time to start feeling insecure with himself. He tried to push his doubts to the back of his mind.

“I want to make your birthday up to you,” Jonouchi finally answered. He managed to get his thoughts in order again, “I didn’t eat or drink anything recently, so no possibility for accidents.”

“You don’t owe me anything for getting sick.”

“Yeah,” I know that,” said Jonouchi, “But I’ve thought about you all day. I’ve wanted this since lunch.”

Kaiba cocked an eyebrow.

“Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

“I wanted to try being sexy,” professed Jonouchi as he moved closer again, putting his arms around Kaiba’s neck and pulling him closer, “I wanted to surprise you.”

“I wouldn’t have made you wait all afternoon and most of evening if you had been more clear about your intentions for coming over.”

“I like watching you work,” Jonouchi admitted.

“What about back in the office?” asked Kaiba. “Is that why I always catch you ogling me when you’re making errands to my desk?”

Jonouchi huffed up a little at that. Yeah, he did check out Kaiba a lot at work. But Kaiba also stared back at him plenty too. It was one of the few perks he could enjoy from working at a corporate office, being able to watch Kaiba all day. Waiting for him to return from the gym was one of the things Jonouchi looked forward to the most every day, not that he’d ever tell Kaiba that. He was glad that his desk was parked where he could easily see each time Kaiba left his office or was returning back. It broke the autonomy of office life and always gave him a little thrill, especially when Kaiba was wearing tight athletic pants.

He knew Yui and Hanna liked it, too. They always returned from their lunch break before Kaiba returned from working out.

“Yes...”

Reaching up, Jonouchi kissed Kaiba, holding his breath as he felt hands settle on the small of his back. When he pulled back to take a breath, he could feel Kaiba’s lips moving to reach his neck, biting his skin gently before sucking on his throat. It made Jonouchi’s gut tingle, and he complied as Kaiba got on top of him, laying on his back before working to take off his shirt.

When he tried to pull the thing over his head, Kaiba stopped him for a second. Both his arms were held down as he felt teeth and tongue playing along his exposed abdomen. He couldn’t help but tremble, he was so ticklish. Squirming, Jonouchi struggled until Kaiba let go of his arms and pulled the rest of Jonouchi’s shirt off from his head.

Then he started working on his pants. Jonouchi had to sit up for that, his jeans were a little tight around the thighs and Kaiba had to give a sharp tug to get them off. He kicked off his socks too, letting them fall on the floor, before reaching up to kiss Kaiba again.

It was a thrill whenever Jonouchi found himself under him, and he put both his hands in Kaiba’s hair while also holding onto his hips with both his legs. Kaiba had soft lips but often kissed hard; he felt like he was always holding in all his passion and excitement for those intimate moments when they were together. Sure, Jonouchi knew Kaiba liked him, and maybe even loved him, but Jonouchi had a feeling that Kaiba would never tell him. At least, not willingly. Only while they were having sex, did Kaiba seem comfortable enough to express himself. Jonouchi savoured every moment of it that he could get.

His breathing got harder when Kaiba managed to reach down and start stroking his dick. The technique was different from what Jonouchi did to himself; Kaiba wasn’t shy about touching every inch of his sensitive genitals. Usually when Jonouchi was masturbating, he wasn’t trying to be sensual about it, he just wanted to get off as quickly as possible. Kaiba was working to stretch the whole thing out; his grip was firm but his strokes were slow. Jonouchi tried to continue to kiss him, but it became hard to pull that off while he was distracted by the pleasure he was receiving.

At some point, he’d just given up and laid his head down on the mattress of the bed. He felt Kaiba nip his Adam's apple gently before sucking on his throat again, and all he could really do was try to keep himself from bucking up too hard as his hips began to lose control of themselves.

His heart had been racing when Kaiba pulled away. Jonouchi could feel sweat in his hair and lower back; he put a hand through his tresses to fix his bangs as he watched Kaiba walk towards his night stand. He felt some relief when Kaiba grabbed a condom. Although he trusted Kaiba and could tolerate feeling ejaculate, he really preferred not to deal with the discomfort of a mess. Yes, condomless sex felt more pleasurable, but not having to push out cum in the bathroom was even better.

“What’s your preference?” Kaiba asked.

He had the little package in his left hand, a bottle of water-based lubricant in his right.

“Minimal mess,” Jonouchi answered. “I don’t want to feel semen dripping down my ass all night.”

“Is it really that awful?”

Jonouchi snorted before nodding his head.

“Yes. If you don’t believe me, we could switch places.”

He was teasing, of course. Jonouchi had no desire to ever try penetrating any man. The idea of having to pleasure someone through anal with his own dick sounded exhausting, beyond stressful, and he didn’t think he could enjoy it much. Between the fear of being a terrible lay and the possibility of actually hurting someone, Jonouchi had decided during his time of self-discovery that his interests lay completely in being dicked. Sure, there was always a chance he could get hurt, but Jonouchi had been there once already. And besides that, he wasn’t afraid of pain.

His fears were more over how he’d be perceived by other men. He didn’t want anyone thinking that he was girly, or unmasculine, because he liked receiving. It just felt really, really good. And the release he felt from giving up control, it was a high like nothing else he’d ever felt before.

It was almost as good as feeling an orgasm. His mind would quiet, and he could feel perfectly safe and secure being in someone else’s care.

Kaiba flipped him on his stomach when he’d reached the bed again. Jonouchi didn’t mind; he motioned for a pillow and Kaiba tossed him one before working on settling his breathing. He was aroused, for sure, but he hadn’t had sex in a while. Even with lubricant, it took some effort to relax enough before Kaiba could easily stroke his fingers through Jonouchi’s body. His sphincter muscles were tight at first, and Jonouchi was thankful that Kaiba was always so patient and slow while engaging in foreplay.

More interesting than the butt play though, was one of Kaiba’s hands that rested on the nape of Jonouchi’s neck. It wasn’t the first time he’d been touched there; Jonouchi remembered that one time Kaiba touched him there after they’d had sex together. It should have bothered him but it didn’t. The tips of Kaiba’s fingers made Jonouchi’s hair tingle; it made things more comfortable for him until finally his body decided to relax and his muscles were no longer resisting.

Jonouchi took a few big breaths. He didn’t have to look to know that Kaiba was putting on the condom; Jonouchi kicked his underwear off from his foot and got up on his knees. It took him by surprise when Kaiba grabbed his chest and pulled him close to the edge of the bed.

“I have an idea,” Kaiba said playfully, “You’re flexible, aren’t you?”

“Within reason,” Jonouchi answered.

“Good. Move to the edge of the bed,” he instructed, “And put one leg on the ground. Keep the other on the mattress.”

Intrigued, Jonouchi did as he was told. He’d seen enough porn to know what Kaiba was aiming for. When Kaiba got directly behind him, Jonouchi put both of his hands on the bed and dug his fingers into the covers. It didn’t hurt being penetrated, but it was always uncomfortable. Dicks were stiff and unrelenting; Jonouchi could feel Kaiba’s hot breath on his neck as he took a few shallow thrusts, working slowly until Jonouchi’s body had fully relaxed.

At first, Jonouchi didn’t even consider reaching back to kiss Kaiba. Still leaning forward and holding onto the sheets, he let out half-choked moans as he could feel his prostate being struck from behind. Lubricant took care of any friction, and Kaiba worked himself into a moderate pace, holding onto Jonouchi’s hip tightly to keep him from slipping. Jonouchi then began touching himself to increase the pleasure, but he didn’t keep at it for very long before Kaiba pushed his hand away and started jerking him off himself.

Jonouchi leaned back and he could feel when his shoulders bumped into Kaiba’s forearms. His eyes were open but it felt like he really couldn’t see much of anything, his bangs were so sweaty and sticky. He held onto his thighs then to keep himself propped up. When Kaiba’s other hand touched his neck and turned his head towards him, Jonouchi obeyed and felt himself being kissed again.

It was hot and passionate. Jonouchi’s lips were beginning to feel bruised, but he really didn’t want to stop. When they couldn’t kiss, he found himself looking into Kaiba’s eyes; his pupils were large and his expression looked unfiltered. Even his face was flushed for once, and Jonouchi continued to look up into his eyes as he felt his body start to tremble.

At first, he thought he was maybe about to piss himself, but instead his entire body violently shuddered as his brain got hit hard with a wave of euphoria. He couldn’t stop from crying out loudly while he tried rocking back into the pressure of Kaiba’s thrusting. Jonouchi barely noticed that he’d ejaculated, everything else having hit him twice as hard. He closed his eyes when Kaiba leaned close to him again and kissed him; the thrusts were more erratic this time and the grip on this throat was firm but Jonouchi loved it. He listened as Kaiba moaned loudly against his hair, finishing gently before finally pulling away.

Exhausted, Jonouchi collapsed on the bed. He was still feeling the effects of orgasm in his body even after Kaiba had left the room to dispose of the condom. Jonouchi felt content and relaxed, his mind in bliss even as parts of his body ached from the effort. When Kaiba laid down against him, he felt even better.

It wasn’t a secret that he liked being touched after sex. He liked being held and caressed. Kaiba played with his hair for a long time and Jonouchi didn’t dare move away. He just tried to catch his breath and enjoy the moment, taking Kaiba’s free hand that laid across his waist and holding it. Kaiba squeezed his hand when he began to get up; they both had to get off the bed to get under the covers, and Jonouchi moved so that he was close to the middle. His hips were sore and his thighs ached, but he felt so happy.

Kaiba adjusted himself so he was laying against Jonouchi’s side again. His hand trailed from Jonouchi’s waist to his hips to the curve of his ass. When he teasingly squeezed the muscle, Jonouchi just snorted in response. His eyes were closed and he didn’t care. He felt like every hidden part of him had been peeled away so there was no point in trying to pretend to be shy or bashful now. After having felt so vulnerable for so long, his energy was now completely spent and for once, Jonouchi didn’t even feel like talking.

Instead, Kaiba spoke up first.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “You’re not normally so quiet.”

“I told you before we got started, Kaiba, that I was tired,” Jonouchi answered. “Did you not believe me?”

“Being tired has never stopped you before.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything... I just want to enjoy the moment,” explained Jonouchi in a quiet voice.

“Well, I wanted to ask you something...”

Kaiba paused for a moment and Jonouchi was tempted to turn around but he didn’t as he heard Kaiba take a breath and begin to speak again.

“Do you really want to leave Japan?”

“Yes,” Jonouchi answered. “It’s still my goal to become a duelist.”

“You could become a duelist here. In Domino City,” Kaiba reasoned, “There’s no reason for uprooting yourself if you just want a professional career.”

Jonouchi didn’t want to argue with Kaiba. Sure, he could stay, but that would be the easy thing to do. He needed to grow, push himself past his comfort zone and follow his dreams. He didn’t want to be the sort of person who stayed in their hometown forever and never tried living any place else. It wasn’t like he had close family keeping him grounded; only his sister cared about him and his father had already passed. And with all the trouble with Hirutani, it would be best to start fresh someplace else.

Sure, leaving Kaiba would be difficult. Jonouchi didn’t like to think about separating, but surely Kaiba would understand. He had left himself once, to follow his own dreams.

He could feel himself floating, like he was no longer laying in the bed. Kaiba had thankfully said nothing else, and Jonouchi found himself pulled away into a deep and restful sleep.


End file.
